GREAT SEA-CUCUMBER. 211 



what undignified name of Sea-Pudding, a sobriquet not 

 altogether inappropriate. He is arranged by them in an 

 extensive though most unphilosophically constituted class 

 of marine animals, to which they apply the term " Pushen," 

 which being translated signifies poison. In this Thulean 

 arrangement numbers of the rarest of British animals are 

 unfortunately included, — I say, unfortunately, for all mem- 

 bers of the class Pushen are unceremoniously and speedily 

 thrust overboard almost as soon as seen in the fishing-boats, 

 being considered unlucky and dangerous in their nature. 

 The class is not an ultimate division. The Shetland fisher- 

 men arrange all marine animals not used as food under 

 the general head of " Combustibles,"" — certainly a most 

 extraordinary application of that excellent English word. 

 " Combustibles'" they divide into Harmless Combustibles 

 and Pushen, under which last division I fear all the 

 animals which it has been my fortune to describe in this 

 volume must take their places. 



The body of this Cucumaria when at rest is of an ovate 

 form, and somewhat pentagonal. It is nearly smooth, and 

 is very dark purple on one side, and inclined to whitish on 

 the other. Between the angles on the darker side there 

 are a few scattered suckers. On the angles are five double 

 and alternate ranges of suckers. The tentacula are large, 

 ten in number, frondose and pyramidal. Their branches 

 are beautifully pinnate, and of a dark brown colour with 

 occasional whitish dots. 



Internally we see a complicated intestine, and a stomach 

 strengthened by granulated striae, but no gizzard. The 

 generative tubes are very long, and exceedingly numerous, 

 more so than in any other British species. There are two 

 oesophageal sacs. The so-called respiratory trees are highly 

 developed, but there is no appearance of cilia on their sur- 



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