POLYPES. 
61 
Polypes, the embryos aro escaping by thousands. Mr 
Peach, who first observed them, thus describes tho scene 
he saw. Having, on the 19th of February, placed a 
specimen of Laomedea dichotoma in a largo glass of sea- water, 
he found, a day or two after, that tho water appeared 
muddy, an appearance caused bymyriadsof movingobjects, 
that resembled umbrellas without handles, or very wide 
and short hand-bolls. “ I took,” says this agreeable ob- 
server, “ a small quantity of the water, and placed it under 
the microscope, when thousands of the objects were sport- 
ing about in all directions, moving at a rapid rate by the 
ciliary appendages on their rim. All at once they would 
withdraw their cilia, and the handle-like appendage on the 
back, and become a mere speck ; and after resting a short 
time they would again throw out their cilia and appendage, 
and round they went waltzing with each other. It was 
perfectly astonishing in this crowded assembly to find that 
they very seldom camo into collision ; and if so, how soon 
matters were again accommodated. They continued active 
up to tho 2d of March, when I lost them as if by magic. 
I fancied they might have been the young of worms ; 
therefore, I took the Laomedea, washed it, took fresh sea- 
v ater and filtered it through three or four folds of fine 
men, and placed the specimen in this : tho next morning 
thi had a sti11 m °re innumerable host of these delightful 
1 hey assume various positions, and when in the 
from** ihQ y rei *iind me of thousands of parachutes thrown 
r .1! a Walloon, descending in various states of expansion.” 
„ 6 uu thor of these pages has had an opportunity of 
! lmhl S an, t extending the observations of Mr Peach, 
is easy to find the minute, sylph-liko creatures, for all 
