LECTURE X. 
143 
riously branched arms, forming the appearance of 
so many clusters : the animal is chiefly a native of 
the northern seas. 
A much more remarkable species is the Holo- 
thuria Physalis of Linnaeus, generally known to 
sailors by the name of the Portuguese Man of War. 
It may be considered as one of the most curious of 
all the Mollusca, and resembles in shape an ob- 
long transparent bladder, several inches in length, 
■sharp at one end, and somewhat rounded at the 
other ; of a pale purple colour, with deeper veins 
or ramifications : along the upper part runs a 
slightly elevated ridge or crest, somewhat undulated 
or notched on the outline, while from beneath 
the large or obtuse end of the animal hang down, 
in a perpendicular direction, a great many string- 
shaped feelers or processes of a deep purple co- 
lour, and of different lengths : lastly, the edges of 
the body beneath, are surrounded by a series of 
short or abrupt processes of a deep purplish-brown 
colour. The appearance of the whole is in the 
highest degree singular and elegant. From hav- 
ing examined a very fine drawing of this animal, 
in its living or recent state, by an artist of great 
talent, I am enabled to give its description with 
