Page:The aquarium - an unveiling of the wonders of the deep sea.djvu/127

86 unmitigated surf. There were, however, on the perpendicular and overhanging sides of the blocks, a few tufts of that peculiarly beautiful, silky, bright-green Conferva, Cladophora gracilis, and one or two of the equally lovely, crimson-pencilled Callithamnion corymbosum. Trochus crassus, a rather rare shell, was adhering to the rocks.

Here I found myself once more among my favourites, the charming little Naked-eyed Medusæ. It was nearly high tide, and the sea had the brilliant crystalline clearness of spring-water: though, on minute examination, it was seen to hold in suspension millions of filmy bodies, the exuviæ of the countless acorn-barnacles (Balanus), that stud the lower rocks.

Standing on the huge angular blocks, I dipped with a ring-net at the end of a staff, and up came several balls of clear jelly, which when turned into a glass jar of water proved to be fine specimens of Sarsia tubulosa. Again and again the net went down, and at every plunge brought up more of the same species, which could be distinctly seen, on bringing the eye nearer to the water, playing by scores in the sea, almost wherever I looked.

Another species not less interesting, Bougainvillæa Britannica, accompanied the Sarsiæ, but not in any considerable numbers; and there were a few of that lovely animated crystal globe, Cydippe pomiformis, and a small Thaumantias or two, and many of those curious, slender, fish-shaped animalcules, named Sagitta, some of them twice as large as those I had seen at Ilfracombe, but apparently of the same species.

A week or two later than this, namely at the end of