Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, Volume 1Grey, George
History
Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, Volume 1
Grey, George
Natural history -- Australia -- Western Australia; Western Australia -- Discovery and exploration
The sketch Illustration 4 Diphya, Sp. gives a faint idea of the most
beautiful animal of this kind which I have ever seen. It was so delicate
that, with the slightest touch, portions of it came off, hence the
specimen we obtained is I fear useless. The body consisted only of a
central canal, to which were attached a number of gelatinous bags, with
large lateral openings, so large that other zoophytes were caught in
them, and apparently annoyed the animal; who continued throwing water out
until it expelled them. The whole was surmounted by a number of the most
beautiful rose-coloured tentacula: I counted eleven on it, and found four
more that were torn off, but there may have been more. Its top, when
looked into closely, resembled some of the sea anemones; and inside of
the large bright orange-coloured tentacula were placed circular rows of
smaller ones. Its body was quite transparent, with the exception of the
central canal, which was of a milk-white colour, and terminated in a
small sac of the same hue.
It moved in a direction opposite to the tentacula, by taking in water at
the lateral openings of the bags, in the position in which it is
represented; then bending these towards the tentacula, and expelling it
with great violence.
Temperature the same as the water, 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Length of body (to tentacula from root of tail-like canal) 1.8 inches.
Length of tentacula, 1.2 inches.
Length of tail-like canal, 0.45 inches.
Breadth, 1.1 inches.
Thickness, 0.8 inches.
Long tentacula, flesh-coloured; large tentacula, rose-coloured; lateral
bags, tinged with clear amber; the rest of the animal perfectly
transparent.
We this evening caught several curious little animals (Clio ?) which when
taken out of the water appeared like small balls of the same matter as
that of which a slug is composed. Presently a little head peered out,
then the body expanded itself, and finally two little things like wings
were spread forth, formed of a fine membrane; they moved these very
rapidly, and swam with great velocity.
We caught several small crabs, and two kinds of shells, of a beautiful
purple colour. (Janthina exigua.) These were very small; I have preserved
several of them.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 represent different views of an animal (Salpa)
slightly electrical, that we caught this evening. Figure 1 is its
appearance, one side being up; Figure 2 when the other side is turned up;
Figure 3 is the side view of it.
I have never before seen one of the kind electrical. Temperature the same
as the water, 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Length, 1.5 inches.
Breadth, 0.6 inches.
Thickness, 0.3 inches.
Figure 1. The intestinal canal terminates in a little coloured bag,
generally of a bluish tinge; there is an opening at each extremity, one a
little to the left of the little bag, the other, as shown in Figures 3
and 1.
November 13. Latitude 30 degrees 7 minutes south; longitude 100 degrees
50 minutes 10 seconds east.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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