150 The Blue Cyancea. 



peated dips of a muslin ring-net, obtaining large material for 

 wonder and admiration. Yonder, in the unbroken clearness, 

 floats a globe of heavenly blue ; carefully the net is loVered 

 beneath it, and as we lift it out of water we marvel at its weight. 

 It lies a shapeless mass of coloured jelly in the bottom of the 

 strained bag ; but we turn it out into the bucket of sea-water, 

 drawn fresh and pure to receive it, and then, as it turns over, 

 and gives two or three pumping strokes to prove its powers, 

 we see that it is uninjured ; and now, away to shore, that we 

 may examine our prize at leisure. 



On putting the creature into an ample glass tank, we dis- 

 cover that we have before us an object of singular beauty. It 

 is of a somewhat mitre-like form, or that of two-thirds of a 

 globe, with a slight tendency to constriction around the upper 

 third, the diameter being about five inches, and the height 

 about three and a-half.* On turning over the pages of Esch-i 

 scholtz's System der Acalephen, the best work extant on these 

 creatures, we have no difficulty in determining our captive to 

 belong to the interesting and highly-organized genus Cyancea. 



This genus was established by Peron for such discoid 

 Medusas as possess tentacle threads and sac-formed appendages 

 to the stomach, and whose tentacles are not arranged around the 

 edge of the disk, as in the genera Pelagia and Chrysaora, but 

 spring in bundles from the inferior area of the disk; while there 

 are on the outer edge of the disk vascular processes of the di- 

 gestive cavity. The sac-formed appendages are sixteen in 

 number,t on the circumference of the stomach, of which eight 

 broader alternate with as many narrower. These accessory 

 sacs or pouches are formed on a quite peculiar model, for we 

 meet with them in no other genus of discoid Medusae : their 

 under skin having numerous cross-foldings, lying closely side 

 by side, which, as they appear united at both ends, form pecu- 

 liar small sac-formed extensions of this skin. Within the cross- 

 foldings there is a row of toothed vesicles, which probably 

 B fluid accessory to digestion — a gastric juice. The 

 vesicles are so arranged that they constitute excentrio rows. 

 Though the accessory pouches appear on their exterior circum- 

 i\ r i if cut off or closed up, owing to the last cross-fold, 



i. this is only i pparent, for their cavity has many expan- 

 sions at the border of the disk. In the first place there arc 

 d proci f the pouches, whose; bases are in con- 



nection with the outer angles of two pouches, immediately 



• The figure in the annexed plate, which was drawn from a specimen in full 

 health and vigour, represents the animal reduced to about half the natural size. 



+ Thirty-two, aooordi shacholtz [Op. ('if., p. 67), sixteen broad and ae 



many narrow; bul hia Bgurea repre half the >, and 1 can find 



■ more in tl which 1- have examined. J Buspecl a verbal error in his 



text. 



