History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

554 ZOOPHYTA. NUDA. Hydra.Height about an inch, transparent, brownish, or greenish, and consistingof a o-elatinous matter, interspersed with minute granular glands. The bodyis tubular, and open at both ends ; simple or branched ;tentacula varyingin number or height. The food, consisting of small annulose animals, isseized by the tentacula, and conveyed to the alimentary canal, whence, afterdigestion, it is ejected by the mouth. The absorbed nourishment is dispersedthrough the glands even to the tentacula. The animal displaces itself andcreeps like a leech by the help of its mouth and tail, and even suspends itselffrom the surface of the water by its tail, which itexpands like a funnelfor the purpose. The reproduction of this singular being, by buds, issuingand then falling offfrom the sides of the parent polype, acquiring tentacula,and becoming independent individuals, or by the regeneration of parts whenartificially divided, has long engaged the attention of the curious observer.The animals may easily be procured by placing a quantity of the stems ofplants growing under water in any slow running ditch, in a basin of cleanwater ;and in a short time the polypi will expand, and exhibit themselvesreadily to the naked eye.** Inhabitingthe Sea.208. H. lutea.— Branched, ovate, truncated, with about tenshort tentacula.Lamarck, Hist. GO—On ii.fuci, Belfast, Mr Templeton.Height upwards of half an inch, stem narrow, head much enlarged ; tentaculathick, not equal in length to the breadth of the body. The above descriptionis from the drawing of an animal communicated to me by the lateMr Templeton.209. H. coronata.— Body slender, head suborbicular, truncated,with a flat disc; the tentacula issuingat the marginfrom sheaths which radiate from the centre.Ellis, Cor. t. xxxviii. f. 5.— On Plumularia falcata.Mr Ellis has given a figure of this animal, which does not seem to haveattracted the notice of subsequent observers. He states that it was of a redcolour, and that the tentacula " issued out of their sheaths like a starflower."—Thetrue place in the system, of this and the preceding species,remainsto be determined.FacUius mirari el comment a riquam vera dignoscerc et dejinire.