COLLECTING AT BAR HARBOR 41 



tal clearness, and as one gazes into it one object after another 

 comes into view, until one is filled with astonishment at the num- 

 ber of beautiful objects the pool contains. The little green balls, 

 one half of an inch to one inch in diameter, which look like small 

 green tomatoes scattered on the stones, are Leathesia difformis, an 

 alga which cannot be mistaken for any other. Bunches of Corallina 

 officinalis, which resembles coral, as the name indicates, are abun- 

 dant. This alga should be examined with a magnifying-glass. 

 It is covered with calcareous matter, and its peculiar form of 

 growth is beautiful and interesting. 



The fronds of the laminarian Alaria esculenia are tiny here, 

 while just outside the cave they are to be seen several feet in 

 length, beating against the rocks in the swash of the waves. 

 Thorny sea-urchins (Strongylocentrotus drobachiensis) make green 

 spots which look like tufts of moss. Yellow and green sponges 

 in little cones are spread over small surfaces. Starfishes and 

 ophiurans are plentiful. The Purpura lapillus and Littorina litorea 

 and rudis (periwinkles), so plentiful on this coast, are present. 

 The Mytillus and the Saxicava and the Acmcea testudinalis are also 

 to be found. A green crab (Carcinus nmnas) is snugly hidden in 

 a dark nook on the shady side of the pool, and many small crus- 

 taceans scuttle away from under stones as they are lifted. The 

 collector is always anxious for uncommon, or rather less plenti- 

 ful, species, and here are found two specimens of nudibranchs, 

 or naked mollusks, ^Eolis and Dendronotus. The Chiton ruber, a 

 jointed mollusk, was also found here, and five species of sea- 

 anemones were counted. As this is a favorite hunting-ground, 

 the anemones have not been left to attain full growth ; but there 

 are very many small ones which at first are not distinguishable, as 

 they retract their tentacles at the slightest disturbance of the water 

 and are then quite inconspicuous. After a little time of quiet 

 watching they will be seen putting out their tentacles and expand- 

 ing their beautiful flower-like forms. It is useless to try to cap- 

 ture them uninjured, so tightly do they adhere to the rocks, and 

 the difficulty of preserving them in an expanded form is so great 

 that amateur collectors had better leave tljem uridisturbed to 

 beautify the pool. 



