Mr. C. W. Peach on the ''Niggei^" or ''Cotton Spinner.^' 171 



had been consigned, informed him that at the period when its 

 existence terminated " the lower mandible had begun to put on a 

 white scurfy appearance, while here and there a few feathers had 

 fallen from the upper one." It is to be regretted that the issue 

 of this experiment was not more satisfactory, as from the nature 

 of the case it was impossible to determine whether the feathers 

 lost from the base of the bill would be renewed or not, though 

 feathers shed from other parts in the act of moulting are known 

 to be reproduced. 



The rook visits orchards and gardens when cherries and wal- 

 nuts are ripe, for the purpose of feeding on those fruits ; it also 

 devours grain of various kinds, and frequently commits depreda- 

 tions in potato-grounds by abstracting the newly-planted sets ; 

 but I entirely concur with those naturalists who maintain that 

 the injuries it inflicts on the farmer and gardener are vastly more 

 than compensated by the benefits it confers upon them by the 

 destruction of noxious insects. 



XXIV. — On the ''Nigger" or " Cotton Spinner " of the Cornish 

 Fishermen. By Charles William Peach, of Goran Haven, 

 Cornwall*. 



[With a Plate.] 



Through the kindness of Mr. Couch of Polperro, some time ago, 

 I was gratified with a sight of Professor Forbes' s ' History of the 

 British Echinodermata.' In that interesting work, at page 341, 

 he says, " We have as yet no representative of the typical Holo- 

 thuria with twenty tentacula in the British fauna." It is gra- 

 tifying to me to be able to present to your notice that link, which 

 was then wanting, — a Holothuria with twenty tentacula ; and as 

 it is a new and interesting subject, I trust I shall be pardoned in 

 giving you a lengthened history of its appearance, habits, &c. 



This Holothuria is very common in deep water ofi" the Dead- 

 man in certain localities (rocky ground), and is called by the fisher- 

 men a " Nigger," and at times a " Cotton Spinner" ; it is held by 

 them in great detestation, from its throwing out what they call 

 " cotton," of which more by and by, and from its slimy nature, 

 and also because where the " Niggers " are numerous and get 

 into the crab-pots, it is very rarely that either crabs or lobsters 

 are caught, and therefore they kill all they come near with their 

 knives, because they do not like to touch them. This is not 

 wonderful, for their appearance is anything but prepossessing ; 

 yet they are interesting objects to me, and no doubt will prove so 

 to others, after I have described them. 



* Read before the Royal Polytechnic Institution of Cornwall, and com- 

 municated by the author. 



