302 
Z. ASCIDIOIDA. 
Alcyonidium. 
a slight curve outwards towards its extremity, which gives to the 
whole a very elegant appearance. It is remarkable that in some 
specimens the arms are much shorter on one side of the body than 
on the other.” Farre . 
“ The stomach is not furnished with a gizzard in this species. The 
intestine forms a considerable elbow at its origin, and is short and 
wide, terminating not as in other cases near the tentacular ring, but 
about midway up the body, at a point opposite the base of the setae. 
“ A very singular organ was frequently observed, consisting of a 
little flask-shaped body situated between the base of two of the arms, 
and attached to the tentacular ring by a short peduncle. The cavity 
in its interior is lined with cilia which vibrate downwards towards 
the outer, and upwards towards the inner side ; it has a narrow neck 
and a wide mouth, around which a row of delicate cilia are constant- 
ly playing. No flow of fluids could ever be detected through it, 
nor did the use of carmine assist in showing with what parts the ca- 
vity in its interior might communicate. From the circumstance that 
it is more frequently absent than present, it cannot be an organ of 
vital importance to the animal : and it is too intimately blended with 
the sides of the tentacula, and too constant in its position to be re- 
garded as a parasite. Does it indicate a difference of sex ?” Farre . 
This production was first described by Johnson, the editor of Ge- 
rard e’s Herbal. His description, which is characteristic enough, is 
as follows : “ This is a very succulent and fungous plant, of the 
thicknesse of one’s thumbe ; it is of a dark yellowish colour, and 
buncheth forth on everie side with many unequal tuberosities or 
knots : whereupon Mr Thomas Hickes being in our companie did 
fitly name it Sea ragged Staffe.” — Jt was afterwards observed on the 
southern coasts of England by Dale and Doody ; and Ray introduced 
it into his synopsis of British Plants as a fucus. Ellis at first suspec- 
ted it to be the spawn of some shell-fish, but (whether relying on the 
authority of Pallas, who had seen the polypes, or upon subsequent 
original observations, is uncertain,) he ultimately came to a correct 
conclusion, for in his history of Zoophytes he says, “ This is found at 
particular seasons full of minute papillae which send forth polypes.” 
The fact was overlooked ; and on the authority of Ray and Hudson, 
botanists continued to rank it in the vegetable kingdom, where it re- 
mained until very recently. Even Lamouroux considered it at first 
as a sea- weed, but he had the fortune afterwards to detect the poly- 
pes which he describes as having a cylindrical body and 12 tentacula ; 
and the description which Dr Fleming has given is essentially the 
same. If no error has crept into their calculation, the species must 
