V 

 NOTES ON MEDUSA AND POLYPES 



Annals and Afagazine of Natural History, vol. vi. 1850,//. 66-7 



H.M.S. Rattlesnake, 

 Cape York, October 1S49. 



My Dear Sir, — You will probably be interested in knowing what 

 I have been about for the last year. I have examined (in most cases 

 very carefully) species of the following genera of Acalephae and 

 Polypes : Physophorid^, Velella, Porpita, Pliysalia (a good many 

 new points), StepJianomia, Athorybia, Agulina, Rhizophyra ; DiPHYDiE, 

 Rosacea, Cnboides (tvfo species), A by la (three species), Enneagonea ; 

 MedusID^E, Sinope (?), Xantliea, Geryonia, Cytczis, Cephea, Oceania, 

 * Bugainvillea, Tima, Aglaiira (?), Pelagia, * Willsia ; POLYPES, 

 Tubidaria, besides some genera altogether new. The two I have 

 marked thus * will interest you, as you describe them in your " Naked- 

 eyed Meduscs!' Bugainvillea, I may mention, has its generative organ 

 in the thickness of its outer membrane of the stomach ; Willsia 

 develops bodies mostly resembling those in Sarsia prolifera and 

 gemmifera, at the angle formed by the two first divisions of each of 

 the four radial canals. The structure of the Tubularia is also very 

 interesting. I was for a long time astonished at what appeared to be 

 its very wide geographical distribution, until I discovered one day 

 that it was attached in large masses to the ship's bottom ! 



I have found much that was new to me in all respects, but nothing 

 that contradicted in any important matter the results at which I 

 arrived in the paper on the Medtisce. On the other hand, I can speak 

 much more confidently on some points advanced only with hesitation 

 before. I believe that I shall be able to show you on our return 

 evidence amply sufficient to prove, — ist, that the Hydroid and Sertu- 

 larian Polypes, the Hydrostatic and ordinary Acalephee, and the 

 Helianthoid Polypes form one large family, which from their invari- 

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