SOMETHING ABOUT JELLY-FISHES. 251 
der-skinned bathers. With its broad, tawny, festooned, 
and scalloped disk, often a full foot or more across, it 
flaps its way through the yielding waters, and drags after 
it a long train of riband-like arms, and seemingly inter- 
minable tails, marking its course when the body is far 
away from us. Once tangled in its trailing ‘hair,’ the 
unfortunate, who has recklessly ventured across the 
graceful monster’s path, too soon writhes in prickly tor- 
ture. Every struggle but binds the poisonous threads 
more firmly ryan bis body, and then there is no escape ; 
for, when the winder of the fatal net finds his course im- 
peded by the terrified human wrestling in its coils, he, 
seeking no combat with the mightier biped, casts loose 
his envenomed arms, and swims away. The amputated 
weapons, severed from their parent body, vent vengeance 
on the cause of their destruction, and sting as fiercely as 
if their original proprietor itself gave the word of attack.” 
Peculiar oval cells, each containing a little filament capa- 
ble of protrusion, have been supposed to be the seat of 
this nettling sensation. These are called urticating cells, 
and the whole class of Jelly-fishes are called Acalephs, or 
Sea-nettles, from this peculiar property. These stinging 
cells cover the surface of the body and appendages, 
though, strange enough, there are many species possessing 
these cells that produce no stinging sensation whatever. 
The strangest feature in the history of certain Jelly- 
fishes belonging to the order Discophore, as the Aurelia, 
for instance, is their wonderful mode of reproduction. It 
would require too long a time to detail the successive 
steps made before the whole truth was known 
the development of these Jelly-fishes. How hae succes- 
Sive stages were described by different zodlogists as en- 
tirely distinct animals, until at last it was proved that 
