45 



beneath. Tins orifice is surrounded by eight filiform appen- 

 dages, which hang loosely into the abdominal cavity. Dr. 

 Johnston says they " have generally been considered 

 ovaries"* but he, as well as Grant and Edwards, doubt* s»cli 

 a supposition, and considers them as subservient to tha pro- 

 cess of digestion ; which so far as jny observations go, seems 

 the most reasonable opinion. I have kept many in confine- 

 ment, and watched others from the sea at all seasons, but 

 have never seen these organs develope any thing resembling 

 ova, which are known to be plentifully developed in other 

 parts. The abdominal cavity, which occupies by far the 

 largest portion of the polype, opens into the cell, which in its 

 turn, opens into the tubes which traverse the fleshy crust. 



When the polypes of the whole polypidom are fully ex- 

 panded, the sight is among the prettiest that can be imagined, 

 and more nearly resembles some aquatic Cactus in full 

 bloom with transparent flowers, than a production of the 

 animal kingdom. 



Each polype, though exercising its functions as an inde- 

 pendant being, is associated with all the others in the 

 nourishment of the polype-mass. Beside this community 

 of nourishment, there is also a community of feeling exist- 

 ing between the polypes; so that in recent and healthy 

 specimens, any irritation made on one is perceived by all, 

 and a gradual withdrawal into their cells is the consequence. 

 If, however, the specimen has been sometime removed from 

 the sea, and not frequently supplied with good water, their 

 powers of perception and action are considerably lessened, 

 and they finally die in the expanded state. 



The polype itself is exsertile, and when expanded may bo 

 said to be in a natural state. In describing the transparent 

 tunic forming the outer wall of the polype, it was mentioned 

 that it separated into two layers at the rim of the cell; this 

 point of separation forms the base on which the polype rests 

 in its expanded condition. When it has retreated within its 

 cell, the transparent tunic becomes invaginated "like the con- 

 tracted horns of a snail," or like a partial inversion of the 

 finger of a glove; and the edges of the cells are also drawn 

 together into the star shaped depressions so characteristic of 

 the Order. 



The first of the two groups which occurs in Cornwall is 

 the Gorgoniadce, of which two species only inhabit our shores; 

 a third, which was found by Dr. Borlase in Mount's bay, 

 must be noticed as having occured, but it was most probably 

 foreign and cast on shore from some ship. Tue only species 



* iMag. Zool. and Bot., vol. 1, p. 230. 



F 



