464 KEELING ISLAND. [chap. xx. 



held biscuits, the lid being secured with wire ; but the crab 

 turned down the edges and escaped. In turning down the edges, 

 it actually punched many small holes quite through the tin ! 



I was a good deal surprised by finding two species of coral of 

 the genus Millepora (M. complanata and alcicornis), possessed 

 of the power of stinging. The stony branches or plates, when 

 taken fresh from the water, have a harsh feel and are not slimy, 

 although possessing a strong and disagreeable smell. The sting- 

 ing property seems to vary in different specimens : when a piece 

 was pressed or rubbed on the tender skin of the face or arm, a 

 pricking sensation was usually caused, which came on after the 

 interval of a second, and lasted only for a few minutes. One 

 day, however, by merely touching my face with one of the 

 branches, pain was instantaneously caused ; it increased as usual 

 after a few seconds, and remaining sharp for some minutes, was 

 perceptible for half an hour afterwards. The sensation was as 

 bad as that from a nettle, but more like that caused by the Phy- 

 salia or Portuguese man-of-war. Little red spots were produced 

 on the tender skin of the arm, which appeared as if they would 

 have formed watery pustules, but did not. M. Quoy mentions 

 this case of the Millepora ; and I have heard of stinging corals 

 in the West Indies. Many marine animals seem to have this 

 power of stinging : besides the Portuguese man-of-war, many 

 jelly-fish, and the Aplysia or sea-slug of the Cape de Verd 

 Islands, it is stated in the voj^age of the Astrolabe, that an Acti- 

 nia or sea-anemone, as well as a flexible coralline allied to Ser- 

 tularia, both possess this means of oflfence or defence. In the 

 East Indian sea, a stinging sea-weed is said to be found. 



Two species of fish, of the genus Scarus, which are common 

 here, exclusively feed on coral : both are coloured of a splendid 

 bluish-green, one living invariably in the lagoon, and the other 

 amongst the outer breakers. Mr. Liesk assured us, that he had 

 repeatedly seen whole shoals grazing with their strong bony jaws 

 on the tops of the coral branches : I opened the intestines of 

 several, and found them distended with yellowish calcareous 

 sandy mud. The slimy disgusting Holuthuriae (allied to our 

 star-fish), which the Chinese gourmands are so fond of, also feed 

 largely, as I am informed by Dr. Allan, on corals ; and the bony 

 apparatus within their bodies seems well adapted for this end 



