. The animal creation: a popular introduction to zoology. Zoology. HYDROZOA. 39 their structm-e. The species most commonly met with assume the form of a mushroom, or umbrella- shaped disk, composed of transparent jelly. They move by alternately expanding and contracting their bodies, and swim with their upper surface directed forwards, while their fringes and tentacles follow behind, " like streamers long and ; The Long-tailed Stinger (Ctjanea* capillata) of our seas is a most formidable creature, aud the terror of tender-skinned bathers. With its broad, tawny, festooned and scal
. The animal creation: a popular introduction to zoology. Zoology. HYDROZOA. 39 their structm-e. The species most commonly met with assume the form of a mushroom, or umbrella- shaped disk, composed of transparent jelly. They move by alternately expanding and contracting their bodies, and swim with their upper surface directed forwards, while their fringes and tentacles follow behind, " like streamers long and ; The Long-tailed Stinger (Ctjanea* capillata) of our seas is a most formidable creature, aud the terror of tender-skinned bathers. With its broad, tawny, festooned and scalloped disk, often a full foot or even more across, it flaps its way through the yielding waters, and drags after it a long train of riband-like arms, and seemingly inter- minable tails, marking its course, when the body is far away from us. Once tangled in its trailing "hair," tiie unfortunate, who has reck- lessly ventured across the monstei s path, soon writhes in prickly tortuie. Every struggle but binds the poisonou>5 threads more firmly round his bod\, and then there is no escape, for wht n the winder of the fatal net finds his course impeded by the terrified human wrestling in his coils, seeking no combat with the mightier biped, he casts loo^e his envenomed arms, and swims away The amputated weapons, severed from their parent body, vent vengeance on the cause of their destruction, and sting as fiercely as if their original proprietor gave the word of attack.—Prof. Forbes. Tlie Tube-mouthed Sarsia {Sarsia f tiibulosa) ''Fig. 24j, is a species of smaller dimensions, which, as it floats gracefully along, might be supposed, sylph-like, to live on light, and quaif the ether, but is in reality by no ,,/ [ means addicted to such scanty diet. /'' .' A few of them being kept by Professor / I Forbes in a jar of salt water, in / i which were some small shrimps, de- / i voured these animals, so mucli more i highly organized than themselves, vora- ? ': ciously, apparen
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Keywords: ., bookauthorjo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectzoology
