102 



KARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



From sponges we come to sea-flowers — " Sea 

 Anemones," as they are generally called. They 

 belong to the next order in the ascending scale — 

 the Radiata, and some of them are exceedingly 

 beautiful. 



A great many'of these sensitive plants of the sea- 

 shore must be perfectly familiar to the majority of 

 seaside visitors; in fact, now, aquariums having 

 become so very general, and artificial sea-water so 

 easy (thanks to chemistry) of production, there are 

 but few of the inhabitants of our inland towns 

 who do not know such Zoophytes as the Actinia 

 coriacea (Sea-nettle) and the Bunodes crassicornis, 

 or " Thick-horned Anemone," perfectly well. 



Several kinds are to be met with on the rocks 

 along the coast : the island of Anglesea is rich in 

 lovely specimens, whose brilliant colours are as 

 varied as their forms. Others affect deep pools, 

 shaded by rocky ledges, or protected by fringes of 

 seaweed ; and although they always fix themselves 

 in the shade, they like a spot where, by extending 

 their tentacles, or feelers, they can obtain a ray of 

 sunshine. Their brightest hues are exhibited to 

 the god of day. Notice a Sea-anemone kept in a 

 glass aquarium ; if the day be dull, there will only 

 be a soft little lump of coloured jelly visible ; but 

 directly the sun puts in an appearance, you will 

 find an expanded disk, presenting a perfect resem- 

 blance of a living flower, such as a Marigold or 

 China Aster, in your globe.! 



The casual observer wandering on the sea-shore 

 would, probably, consider these Zoophytes very 

 uninteresting animals ; but they evince a good deal 

 of instinct, when self-preservation is the object they 

 have in view. One sort gives out, when touched, a 

 most offensive odour; another, when located on 

 rocks, or stones close to the shore, covers itself 

 with shells and gravel, iu order to avoid detection 

 — more instances of God's protecting care for the 

 meanest of his creatures. 



Having kept all kinds of Sea-anemones for years, 

 I have had considerable opportunity of studying 

 their habits. They have but very slow powers of 

 locomotion, and very good digestion. Their vora- 

 city is wonderful. A Crass, I now have, swallowed 

 a large crab, quite as big as himself, the day after 

 1 placed him in his glass-house ; sucked all the 

 meat, and then disgorged the shell. They make 

 no difficulty whatever of taking a sea-urchin, spines 

 and all, for breakfast, and were it not for a certain 

 power of attraction in their long feelers, they would 

 often, as they are so slow of motion, be on " short 

 commons " ; but these tentacles of theirs seize all 

 the small molluscs that come in their way, then curl 

 over, and convey the dainty morsel to the Anemone's 

 mouth, an orifice iu the centre of the disk, to be 

 ejected by the same aperture directly all the good 

 has been extracted. 



There are Sea-carnations and Sea-daisies to be 



found on our coast, also a variety which, evidently 

 being fond of wandering, fixes itself on the shell of 

 a crab, and thus gets carried about to see the world. 

 It is known as the Parasite Anemone. 



Corallines should come next. Crabbe wrote of 

 this tribe, — 



" Involved in sea-wrack here you find a race 

 Which science doubting, knows not where to place." 



Science, however, has, since the time of the 

 poet, discovered its rightful position, and we have 

 but to look at the coral of the tropical seas, and the 

 vast reefs of Australia, to understand how great a 

 part these same coral tribes have played, since 

 creation began, in the formation of different conti- 

 nents. Still as there are but very few species of 

 Corallines in the British seas, I shall pass over 

 to the next order of Radiated polypes, some of 

 which the rambler by the sea-shore is sure of 

 meeting with on our native coast. I allude to 

 Jelly-fish ; and fortunate it is for us that the more 

 stinging species, the Medusa, are not very common 

 here, since they have the power of inflicting great 

 pain on any miserable individual who comes within 

 reach of their trailing, riband-like arms. 



One strange fact connected with the Jelly-fish is, 

 that it has the power of breaking off its arms at 

 will ; so, directly that a bather gets entangled in the 

 coils of this Sea-nettle, the angry fish dismembers 

 itself, leaving its tendrils clinging to the writhing 

 mortal, who, struggle as he may, still suffers, since 

 the severed members possess the power of inflicting 

 acute pain. 



Few, who merely see these far from agreeable- 

 looking lumps of gelatine, called Sea-blubbers, 

 which are cast up by the waves on the beach, could 

 possibly imagine the beauty of form and brilHant 

 colouring displayed by some of the species, when 

 carefully examined in their native element. Many 

 of them are likewise capable of emitting a bright 

 phosphorescent light by night, which is quite as 

 beautiful, in its way, as the varied iridescence 

 exhibited by them when the sun shines. 



Those pretty little members of the class Echino- 

 dermata (Sea-hedgehogs) and Starfish are among 

 the most " common objects " of our sea-shore 

 They are to be met with everywhere along the 

 coast, and will well repay the lover of natural his- 

 tory for the trouble in studying their formation and 

 habits, t 



Starfish are, as Professor Forbes quaintly ob 

 serves, " endowed with the power of indulging in 

 sudden suicide." Some of the species when cap- 

 tured fall to pieces, and the various transformations 

 which the embryo of a Starfish goes through before 

 it attains maturity are very wonderful. I regret that 

 space will not permit me to dwell upon them here ; 

 but I must describe the mode in which the " fine 

 finger" insinuates himself into the oyster. It 



