CORTNE. 



119 



creature, but when a lens is brought to bear upon 

 it, sundry hidden beauties become obvious, and 

 among them that peculiar formation of the polyp 

 from which it has derived its name of Coryne. 

 Its club-shaped head is studded with numerous 

 tentacles, that are arranged in a manner some- 

 what similar to the steel spikes of the war mace. 

 Each of the tentacles is furnished with a globular 

 head, and if submitted to a higher power of the 

 microscope, appears covered with minute knobs, 

 at the extremity of each of which* is a short 

 straight bristle. The stalk is merely a horny 

 tube, ringed in structure, and increasing in size 

 towards each polyp head, so as to allow room 

 for them to change their position. The move- 

 ments of these creatures are not very rapid, but 

 can be clearly seen. A magnified representation 

 of a single polyp head accompanies the figure of 

 the zoophyte. 



We now come to one of the most remarkable 

 objects. in the whole range of animated creation, 

 and which requires a microscope of some power 

 to develop. On plate e, fig. 7, may be seen a 

 kind of miniature tree ; this is the representation 

 of an elegant little zoophyte that is found plenti- 

 fully near low water-mark. It is small, seldom 

 exceeding two or three inches in height, and is 



