94 ITS HABITS. 



shaped, descending abruptly in the centre, where rises 

 a cup -like mouth of a greenish hue, formed of thin 

 membrane, capable of considerable motion, sometimes 

 taking a circular shape, and at others wrinkled into 

 four lobes or lips, strongly reminding one of the 

 peduncle of many Medusae. Each of these lobes 

 corresponds with one, taken alternately, of the mar- 

 ginal angles, as do also four black spots, rising from 

 the interior of the body, and projecting into the disk 

 immediately around the mouth. These spots are the 

 summits of as many dark bands that are seen running 

 down the body longitudinally, and which appear to 

 be connected with the ovaries, for each of them is 

 bounded by a series of pale egg-like bodies, the upper 

 extremity of each series running off in a number of 

 globular white corpuscles towards each of the eight 

 marginal interspaces. 



The general colour of the animal is a pale dusky 

 brown or grey, the tint becoming warmer in some 

 parts. The translucency of the integument reveals 

 the internal organs, and hence the light and dark 

 bands already spoken of are conspicuous. 



When I discovered the little creature it was attached 

 by its foot to a fragment of rock. For convenience 

 of examination I gently dislodged its sucker, as I 

 would have removed an Actinia, supposing it would 

 soon adhere to the sides of its vessel. While I had 

 it, however, it shewed no inclination to refix itself, 

 but lay at length on the bottom. The tentacular 

 disk is habitually expanded, and it is not at all timid 

 or impatient of handling. If rough usage be applied, 

 and especially if it be lifted out of the water, it pre- 



