CHANCE-SEEKING. 353 



science has not yet detected the special condition 

 whereby stimuli are transformed into sensations of 

 pain, there can be little doubt that such a condition 

 exists, and none at all, in my mind, that the lower ani- 

 mals have it not ; and this conviction keeps me per- 

 fectly calm in performing experiments on marine ani- 

 mals : a very desirable result, seeing that, without 

 experiment, our observations would carry us but little 

 way. 



But let us turn to another subject. In describing 

 the various methods of search for animals, it has been 

 assumed that a tolerable conception exists as to the 

 appearance of the thing sought. We may also count 

 on " chance-seeking." We never know all that we 

 have captured until some days afterwards. Eepeated 

 examinations of our vases and bottles with a lens, en- 

 able us to detect many a curious novelty which was 

 unsuspected among the weed, and has now emerged. 

 It is, therefore, a good plan always to bring home some 

 " chance-weed," especially if it have a root ; the red 

 weeds being the most advantageous. This is placed 

 in sea water for a day or two, and carefully examined 

 from time to time ; something is tolerably' certain to 

 be found thereon. One day, going over the contents 

 of a bottle with a lens, I was struck by the curious ap- 

 pearance of some Sertularian Polype, round which min- 

 ute grains of sand seemed to be clustered, but all equi- 

 distant from the Polype, and not visibly attached to it. 

 On removing it to the stage of the microscope, these 

 supposed grains of sand proved to be the cups of a tiny 



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