Natural History. 205 



lish, Portuguese man-of-war,' so rare in collections, so difficult to 

 preserve, so incompletely described by naturalists, and, it must be 

 owned, so little worthy of observation when deprived of life, is, 

 perhaps, one of the most curious inhabitants of the equatorial seas. 

 There are few navigators who have not sought to ascertain some of 

 the habits of life of these singular animals, whose extraordinary 

 form, brilliant colours, and habit of remaining floating on the sur- 

 face of the water during calm weather, has attracted the attention 

 of all navigators. These habits are the origin of the vulgar names given 

 to them by the sailors. The body of the smallest of these creatures 

 which we have been able to observe, was about 2 centimetres (0.8 

 of inch) long, and that of the largest was 17 centimetres (6.7 inches). 

 Their form, which it is impossible to compare to that of any other 

 animal living, rather resembles a small bladder stretched and filled 

 with air, of an azure blue, slightly streaked with deeper tints and 

 green ; their body, almost cylindrical, is surmounted by a crest, 

 which is in plaits, very moveable, and edged by the most lively tints 

 of purple and rose-colour. This little crest serves the animal for 

 a sail, and by the disposition which it gives it, regulates its 

 movement in nearly the same manner as a ship. According to 

 the strength of the wind, it spreads, rests, or compresses its sail, 

 and in heavy weather, it allows itself to float, by means of a 

 respiratory apparatus of a peculiar construction. The lightness 

 of its body is such, that it appears resting on the water, and 

 when plunged in alcohol it floats again to the surface of that fluid. 

 The lower and middle part of the animal is armed, at different 

 lengths, with tubes, papillae, and retractile feelers, some of which are 

 from sixteen to eighteen feet long, disposed spirally or in chaplets of 

 the most beautiful blue, and most delicate rose-colour, and serve at 

 once as organs of absorption, defence, and locomotion. These 

 tubes, papillaB, and fibres, contain a viscous matter, which produces 

 pustules on the human skin, and occasions a pain similar to that 

 of a large but superficial burn. This property is not easily got rid 

 of; vessels in which one of these animals has been plunged, must 

 be washed several times in water, and carefully scoured before they 

 can be used without inconvenience ; and linen, which had merely 

 been rinsed in soap and water, had this quality of irritation fifteen 

 days after it had been used in making observations on these ani- 

 mals. Cutting these feelers does not produce death, at least for 

 a considerable time ; and incisions made transversely in the body 

 with scissors do not deprive the animal of life. The membranous 

 crest appears to have more irritability than the other appendages, 

 and the animal appears to contract itself, and to suffer more when 

 tormented there than in any other part. Naturalists suppose that 

 the holothurus feeds on animals of all kinds, occasionally on some of 

 a very considerable relative size, and that they have a very strong 

 and active digestion. They, in their turn, serve as food to species 

 of the scombri and medusa, against which their weapons of defence 

 are unavailing 



