WEEVER. 115 



caution in our approaches, and look well before we 

 touch. As we see it now, it certainly presents a note- 

 worthy appearance. A large head, with a wide mouth 

 opening at very upward angles ; two staring eyes, set in 

 the crown so as to look upward instead of sideways, 

 and intently watching our intentions ; a short fin on 

 the back, of which the membrane is of the deepest 

 velvet black, and the rays, which are stout sharp spines, 

 are white ; these rays are now stretched to the utmost, 

 like a fan widely expanded, so as to offer the threatening 

 points in all directions to a foe ; these are all the 

 features we can discern, except a narrow line of olive 

 presently lost in the sand, which marks the buried 

 body. 



In spite of the good man's earnest warnings to have 

 nothing to do with so venomous a creature, we must 

 contrive to take possession of it for study at home ; 

 and by the aid of our hand-net we find no difficulty in 

 lifting it and transferring it, an unwilling guest, to a 

 glass jar of sea- water. We now discern it more fully 

 and distinctly ; though it manifests its indignation at 

 this tyrannical suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act, 

 by flouncing around the glass, and scattering the water 

 hither and thither. This wrath, however, gradually 

 subsides, and our captive philosophically makes up 

 his mind to his fate. 



