116 VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 



ship. Some of these Medusas were long-er than a fing-er, and at 

 the wider end divided in two lobes ; I have observed this often, 

 but had not marked it down in my description; the thinner part 

 finishes in a sort of wart, which projects a Httle. I saw a pecuHar 

 animal mo^dng rapidly in the sea after the manner of a worm; it 

 was about one span long and as thick as a quill. I caught many 

 of them, but as soon as they touched the net, they broke into 

 many small pieces, so that I had much difficulty in bring'ing some 

 of them under the microscope, but succeeded in the end. It 

 was an animal of the same kind of mollusc whch I called a new 

 class the day before yesterday, but they hang together by their 

 ends and in this attitude they have four corners obtuse at the 

 ends, only one little piece sticking out at each end. Each separ- 

 ate piece is of the length of a coffee-berry, but is not quite as 

 thick at their hindmost part. The ballshaped stomach is easily 

 recognisable on account of its opaque colour; which in some is 

 dark green, in others blue or yellow, and is as big' as a mustard 

 seed. They were specially conspicuous when swimming, becauns 

 their movements were like those of a worm, and very differete 

 from those of any other mollusc. As soon as I put them into 

 water, their movements were very rapid, so that before I could 

 examine them properly, I thoug'ht them to be Volvox because 

 the body was as transparent as the clearest crystal. The prin- 

 cipal difference between the Volvox and this animal is, that it has 

 a conically projecting point at both ends ; that the mouth as well 

 as the opening at the back are placed under this projecting point, 

 and the greatest difference is, that there is not such a free pass- 

 age for the water in their body as in that of the former, because 

 there are some valves in their mouths and the divided trumpet 

 like tube is not as large at the beginning\ I could distinctly see 

 the valves at the two opposite sides. The long thin tube being on 

 the side where the stomach is attached really comes from the 

 stomach, and is somewhat thicker in the begiiming, ending in a 

 point nearer the mouth. 



There was still another species or variety of these molluscs 

 swimming past the ship ; the trumpet-shaped tube was of a blue 

 colour, and one could distinctly see the grooves or better the 

 transverse furrows, which were very close tog'ether. The 

 stomach was green and the opening' at the back of a bright orange- 

 red. 



