THE MOSS-ANIMALS. 131 
Thus much for the greatest of the Royal Families of 
Plants. Of the others we may speak hereafter. Their 
importance is not less than we have ascribed to these, and 
in some respects they far outvie the great division before 
us. From the study of their extended ranks we can but 
gain instruction; from their wonderful involutions there ` 
will still shine out a new light on the workings of that 
Spirit at whose bidding “the earth brought forth grass, 
the herb yielding seed, and the tree yielding fruit after 
its kind.” 
THE MOSS-ANIMALS, OR FRESH WATER 
POLYZOA. 
PLATE 4. 
BY ALPHEUS HYATT. 
——+o0—__ 
(Continued from p. 63. 
Tue blood of the Phylactolemata is colorless, resem- 
bling in this respect that of most of the lower animals. It 
is composed of the liquid products of digestion, which 
exude through the membranes of the stomach, diluted 
with water drawn in through innumerable pores perfor- 
ating the wall of the tube. The water is the medium 
of conveyance for the gelatinous, nutritious liquid, prob- 
There is no organ resembling a heart to keep the blood 
moving, and there are no closed channels, such as arteries 
and veins, to conduct it among the tissues of the body. 
The absence of the first is supplied by cilia, which cover 
the interior of the tubes and cells with a dense, velvety 
nap, and by their unceasing vibrations sustain a healthy 
circulation. The course of this may be traced by the 
numerous floating parasites, beings of the simplest or- 
