24 Natural History of Molluscous Animals : — 



Provinces were under a dreadful alarm, for it was discovered 

 that these worms had made such depredations on the piles 

 which support the banks of Zealand, as to threaten them with 

 total destruction, and to claim from man what he had wrested 

 from the ocean. Fortunately they, a few years after, totally 

 abandoned that island, from causes unknown, but suspected 

 to be " from their not being able to live in that latitude when 

 the winter was rather severer than usual." But still they 

 might return ; and so a prize of value was offered to any one 

 who should discover a remedy against their attacks. What 

 answer was returned I am ignorant; but the method now 

 adopted to preserve the timbers necessarily used about the 

 docks at Plymouth is, to cover that part which is continually 

 under water with short broad-headed nails, which, in salt 

 water, soon cover every part with a strong coating of rust, 

 impenetrable to these animals. 



You may think it rather ridiculous to speak of the direct 

 injuries such sluggish creatures, doomed to creep on the earth 

 or crawl in the waters, can inflict: and they are, in truth, a 

 harmless race, none of them being armed with any weapon of 

 offence ; yet, even from amongst them, has man sought the 

 means of aiding his vile purposes. The sea-hare, the jLepus 

 marinus of the ancients, familiar to classical readers, and once 

 famous in the annals of superstition, is a member of this class. 

 Modern naturalists call it Aphysia depilans. {Jig, 7. c) It is a 

 snail-like animal, of a purplish-brown colour, common on our 

 own shores, which, at pleasure, discharges from under its cloak 

 large quantities of a fluid of the richest purple colour. This 

 creature, it was once believed, held such antipathy to man, 

 that the mere touch of it would cause the hair to fall of, and 

 the sight of it was sufficient to subdue the obstinacy of con- 

 cealed pregnancy. That such an animal should supply a 

 potent poison is not wonderful; and accordingly we are told 

 that Nero mixed it with the food of those inimical to him, and 

 that with this poison Titus was despatched by Domitian. Its 

 operation was speedy, and inevitable destruction the effect : 

 yet it was not often used, as it was believed to betray itself by 

 some peculiar symptoms. (See Beckman's Hist, of Irweri- 

 tions, vol. i. p. 82.) And yet it is curious that, notwithstand- 

 ing all this has been said by very grave men, and very gravely 

 too, modern naturalists have proved it to be perfectly harm- 

 less, neither offensive to the smell, nor poisonous to the touch. 

 Some shell-fish, however, are really poisonous when eaten. 

 This is frequently the case with muscles (ikfytilus edulis). I 

 have known them to produce an itchy eruption and swelling 

 pver the whole body, attended with great anxiety and con- 



