Polypus, very voracious; noted for its amazing fertility . . . uses its arms as a fisherman his net; is not of the vegetable tribe, but a real animal; every polypus has a colony sprouting from its body; and these new ones, even while attached to the parent, become parents themselves, with a smaller colony also budding from them; though cut into thousands of parts, each still retains it vivacious quality, and shortly becomes a distinct and complete polypus, fit to reproduce upon cutting into pieces; it hunts for its food, and possesses a power of choosing it, or retreating from danger . . . those young still attached to the parent, bud and propagate also, each holding dependence upon the its parent; artificial method of propagating these animals by cuttings; Mr. Hughes describes a species of this animal, but mistakes its nature, and calls it a sensitive flowering plant.