Ocean Flowers and Lamps 



When a sea-anemone desires to injure or to kill, 

 either in defence or in attack, it darts out a 

 number of these little " lassos " as they are called. 



Each lasso is not merely unwound, but is 

 actually turned inside out, as you may turn a 

 stocking inside out, when drawing it off. And 

 as the instantaneous process takes place, poison 

 flows with the tiny dart into the wound that is 

 made. Small though each lasso may be, when 

 dozens or hundreds of them are launched to- 

 gether, the result is not contemptible, even as 

 regards man ; and ocean creatures die fast from 

 the poison. 



A cell which contains a lasso is about one five- 

 thousandth of an inch across ; and two hundred 

 lassos, placed end to end, would reach to about 

 an inch in length. When once a lasso has been 

 darted forth, it can never again be used, because 

 it cannot be returned to the cell. But so great 

 are the supplies of them, that a sea-anemone 

 never gets to the end of its armoury. Even 

 if all were used, others would speedily grow in 

 their place. 



Some kinds of animals, living in the sea and 

 of service to man, are in danger of being thinned 

 out of existence by the incessant ravages of net 

 and trawl, of hook and harpoon. Not so the 



201 



