SEPTEMBER 1901. 



THE Rock has taken on quite a wintry appearance. The 

 vegetation on the more exposed portions has entirely disap- 

 peared under the influence of the heavy seas experienced dur- 

 ing the greater part of this month. The acorn barnacles 

 with which the higher parts were encrusted are following suit 

 owing to the ravages of the white whelk ; the terns have 

 deserted us, and, to complete the prospect, on the morning 

 of the 19th we had the first visit of our winter boarders, the 

 eider duck. A chip of rock covered with acorn barnacles 

 becomes an interesting object when placed in the aquarium. 

 Each conical shell is packed as close as possible to its neigh- 

 bour, apex upwards. The apex is open, and fitted with a 

 lid composed of four shells. Under water these lid - shells 

 are seen to separate, and a bunch of " fingers " set on a stalk 

 are thrust out, make a clutch, and are withdrawn. The 

 "fingers" have extremely fine hair-like processes fixed at 

 right angles to them, the whole forming a sort of net through 

 which the water is filtered and the minute food-forms retained. 

 It is interesting to know that although now fixed immovably 

 to the rock these animals began life as free swimmers, and, 

 strange to say, closely resembled the young crab. Another 

 object we had under observation at the same time was one 

 of the sea anemones, named the dahlia wartlet. A fleshy- 

 looking disc studded with pieces of broken shell and sand, it 

 appeared anything but attractive ; but seen in the aquarium, 

 the connection with its floral namesake was at once apparent. 

 Unfolding itself from an orifice in the centre, as one would 

 "flype" a stocking, rows of beautiful coloured tentacles were 

 disclosed. These tentacles have the property of adhering to 

 any object they come in contact with, and contain within 



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