line of juncture, able to move neither one way nor the other. At this
spot the sea actually swarms with life; one cannot dip the net into
the water without bringing up Pleurobrachia, Bolina, Idyia,
Melicertum, &c., while the larger Zygodactyla and Aurelia float about
the boat in numbers. These large Jelly-fishes produce a singular
effect as one sees them at some depth beneath the water; the Aureliæ,
especially, with their large white disks, look like pale phantoms
wandering about far below the surface; but they constantly float
upward, and if not too far out of reach, one may bring them up by
stirring the water under them with the end of the oar.
[Illustration: Fig. 122. Ptychogena, natural size.]
[Illustration: Fig. 123. Ovary of Ptychogena; magnified.]
When we have passed an hour or so floating about just beyond East
Point, and have nearly filled our buckets with Jelly-fishes of all
sizes and descriptions, we turn and row homeward. The buckets look
very pretty as they stand in the bottom of the boat with the sunshine
lighting up their living contents. The Idyia glitters and sparkles
with ever-changing hues, the Pleurobrachiæ dart about, trailing their
long graceful tentacles after them, the golden Melicerta are kept in
constant motion by their quick, sudden contractions, and the delicate
transparent Tima floats among them all, not the less beautiful because
so colorless. There is an unfortunate Idyia, who, by some mistake, has
got into the wrong bucket with the larger Jelly-fish, where a
Zygodactyla has entangled it among his tentacles and is quietly
breakfasting upon it.
During our row the tide has been rising, and as we near the channel of
Saunders's Ledge, it is running through more strongly than before, and
at the entrance of the shallows a pleasant surprise is prepared us; no
less than half a dozen of our new friends (the Ptychogena as he has
been baptized), come to look for their lost companion perhaps, await
us there, and are presently added to our spoils. We reach the shore
heavily laden with the fruits of our morning's excursion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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