io 4 
BAHIA BLANCA 
CHAP. 
mud. He adds, “ The Indians often find enormous boas, 
which they call Uji, or water serpents, in the same lethargic 
state. To reanimate them, they must be irritated or wetted 
with water.” 
I will only mention one other animal, a zoophyte (I believe 
Virgularia Patagonica), a kind of sea-pen. It consists of a 
thin, straight, fleshy stem, with alternate rows of polypi on 
each side, and surrounding an elastic stony axis, varying in 
length from eight inches to two feet. The stem at one ex¬ 
tremity is truncate, but at the other is terminated by a vermi¬ 
form fleshy appendage. The stony axis which gives strength 
to the stem may be traced at this extremity into a mere vessel 
filled with granular matter. At low water hundreds of these 
zoophytes might be seen, projecting like stubble, with the 
truncate end upwards, a few inches above the surface of the 
muddy sand. When touched or pulled they suddenly drew 
themselves in with force, so as nearly or quite to disappear. 
By this action, the highly elastic axis must be bent at the 
lower extremity, where it is naturally slightly curved ; and I 
imagine it is by this elasticity alone that the zoophyte is 
enabled to rise again through the mud. Each polypus, though 
closely united to its brethren, has a distinct mouth, body, and 
tentacula. Of these polypi, in a large specimen, there must be 
many thousands ; yet we see that they act by one movement : 
they have also one central axis connected with a system of 
obscure circulation, and the ova are produced in an organ 
distinct from the separate individuals. 1 Well may one be 
allowed to ask, What is an individual ? It is always interest¬ 
ing to discover the foundation of the strange tales of the 
old voyagers ; and I have no doubt but that the habits of 
1 The cavities leading from the fleshy compartments of the extremity were filled 
with a yellow pulpy matter, which, examined under a microscope, presented an 
extraordinary appearance. The mass consisted of rounded, semi-transparent, irre¬ 
gular grains, aggregated together into particles of various sizes. All such particles, 
and the separate grains, possessed the power of rapid movement; generally revolving 
around different axes, but sometimes progressive. The movement was visible with 
a very weak power, but even with the highest its cause could not be perceived. It 
was very different from the circulation of the fluid in the elastic bag, containing the 
thin extremity of the axis. On other occasions, when dissecting small marine animals 
beneath the microscope, I have seen particles of pulpy matter, some of large size, as 
soon as they were disengaged, commence revolving. I have imagined, I know not 
with how much truth, that this granulo-pulpy matter was in process of being con¬ 
verted into ova. Certainly in this zoophyte such appeared to be the case. 
