TESTACEOUS FISHES. 



603 



stops his nose to keep in his breath, as upon 

 going down he takes in a very long inspira- 

 tion. They are no sooner come to the bot- 

 tom, but they give the signal to those who 

 are in the boat to draw up the stone; which 

 done, they go to work, filling their net as fast 

 as they can; and then giving another signal, 

 the boats above pull up the net loaded with 

 oysters, and shortly after the diver himself 

 to take a new inspiration. They dive to the 

 depth of fifteen fathoms, and seldom go deeper. 

 They generally go every morning by break 

 of day to this fatiguing employment, taking 

 the land wind to waft them out to sea, and 



returning with the sea-breeze at night. The 

 owners of the boats usually hire the divers, 

 and the rest of the boats crew, as we do our 

 labourers, at so much a day. All the oysters 

 are brought on shore, where they are laid in 

 a great heap, till the pearl fishery is over, 

 which continues during the months of No- 

 vember and December. When opportunity 

 serves, they then examine every oyster, and it 

 is accidental whether the capture turns out ad- 

 vantageous. Indeed no human being can wish 

 well to a commerce, which thus chains such a 

 number of fellow creatures to the bottom, to 

 pluck up a glittering, mouldering pebble. 



CHAPTER CJLVI. 



OF MULTIVALVE SHELL-FISH. 



MULTIVALVE SHELL-FISH may be 



considered as animals shut up in round boxes. 

 To view their habitations externally, one 

 would be little apt to consider them as the re- 

 treats of living creatures; and still less, to 

 suppose that some of them carry their boxes 

 with a tolerable share of swiftness, so as to 

 escape their pursuers. Of these there are 

 principally two kinds ; such as move, and 

 such as are stationary : the first are usually 

 known in our cabinets by the name of Sea- 

 eggs ; the others are as often admired, from 

 the cavities which they scoop out for their 

 habitation in the hardest marble. The first 

 are called, by naturalists, Echini, or Urchins: 

 the latler are called Pholades, or File-fish. 

 Of both there are several sorts; but, by de- 

 scribing these two, we shall have a competent 

 idea of all the rest. 



To a slight view, the sea urchin may be 

 compared to the husk of a chesnut ; being 

 like it round, and with a number of bony 

 prickles standing out on every side. To ex- 

 hibit this extraordinary animal in every light, 

 if we could conceive a turnip stuck full of pins 

 on every side, and running upon these pins 

 with some degree of swiftness, we should 

 have some idea of this extraordinary creature. 

 The mouth is placed downwards ; the vent is 



above ; the shell is a hollow vase, resembling 

 a scooped apple ; and this filled wilh a soft 

 muscular substance, through which the intes- 

 tines wind from the bottom to the top. The 

 mouth, which is placed undermost, is large 

 and red, furnished with five sharp teeth, which 

 are easily discerned. The jaws are strength- 

 ened by five small bones, in the centre of 

 which is a small fleshy tongue ; and from this 

 the intestines make a winding of five spires 

 round the internal sides of the shell, ending at 

 top, where the excrements arc excluded. 

 But what makes the most extraordinary part 

 of this animal's conformation, are its horns 

 and its spines, that point from every part of 

 the body, like (he horns of a snail, and that 

 serve at once as legs to move upon, as arms 

 to feel with, and as instruments of capture and 

 defence. Between these herns it has also 

 spines that are not endued with such a share 

 of motion. The spines and the horns issue 

 from every part of the body ; the spines being 

 hard and prickly ; the horns being soft, longer 

 than the spines, and never seen except in (he 

 water. They are put forward and withdrawn 

 like the horns of a snail, and are hid at the 

 bases of the spines, serving, as was said before, 

 for procuring food and motion. All this ap- 

 paratus, however, is only seen when the ani 



5 fc 



