58 SqUIRTS, POLYPS, AND JELLY-FISHES. 



markings are here similar to those seen on Bo- 

 trjllus. 



There are a number of free-swimming or pelagic 

 tunicates, some of which approach our coast. One 

 of the commonest of these is Salpa spinosa, whose 



BoTEYLLDS. ' Sea-pobk' l^Amorocciuw). 



compound chains, measuring as much as a foot in 

 length, of perfectly transparent individuals, some- 

 times cover the sea over a vast expanse. Another, 

 the Pyrosoma, a much rarer form in this region, is 

 highly phosphorescent, and lays just claim to being 

 considered one of the lamps of the sea. 



POLYPS. 



The same unsightly sticks of timber that offer 

 refuge to the squirts will probably also be found 

 to harbor quantities of the delicate feathery tufts 

 which are almost everywhere scattered over the 

 beach, and which in the popular mind are associ- 

 ated in structure with the ' sea-weed,' a terra that 

 has much to answer for in receiving under its wing 

 a multitude of objects that do not belong there. 

 These feathery tufts, which are familiar to many 



