200 HOLOTHURIAD.E, 



within, and leaving the body an empty sac behind. Yet 

 it does not perish. In three or four months all the lost 

 parts are regenerated, and a new funnel, composed of new 

 branches as long as the long body of the animal, begins to 

 exhibit the same peculiarities as the old one, though longer 

 time be required to attain perfection. Other species of the 

 Holothuria divide spontaneously through the middle into 

 two or more parts, all becoming ultimately perfect by the 

 developement of new organs. Yet the anatomical struc- 

 ture of the whole genus is so complex as to defy the skill 

 of anatomists in discovering the proper functions of some 

 of the parts. A single Holothuria has produced 5000 

 ova in the course of a night. The young resembles a white 

 maggot when the size of a barleycorn. The animal may 

 lose and regenerate its organs more than once, and is very 

 rarely to be procured entire." 



The Holothuriadee are generally distributed through the 

 seas of the globe, but are congregated in greatest numbers 

 in the Eastern seas. On our shores they are rare and un- 

 attractive animals, not often seen even by the zoologist ; but 

 abroad they are very abundant, and are in some places used 

 as food. Of one genus, the Trepang, many species are eaten. 

 In Mr. F. D. Bennett's interesting " Account of a Whaling 

 Voyage round the Globe, 11 we are told that there are two 

 kinds of Trepang abundant on the rocks at Raiatia, and 

 that they are very indolent animals. " When handled, 11 

 says Mr. Bennett, " the Trepang contracts its body in a 

 longitudinal direction, and should its tentacles be expanded 

 they are instantly concealed ; but no noise or agitation of 

 the surrounding water will excite these symptoms of alarm, 

 or cause any attempt to escape. They usually lie exposed 

 in the shallow waters, though we have very often seen 

 them buried in beds of coral sand, their plumy tentacles 



