The Mighty Deep 



anemone perched confidingly upon its back ; 

 and that special description of anemone is never 

 seen without its friend the crab for a steed. 



A sea-anemone, like a coral-polyp, has a mouth 

 and a stomach. But unlike the coral-polyp, it 

 has the mouth and stomach for its own use, not 

 merely in trust for the benefit of the whole 

 community. 



When the pretty flower-like creature wishes 

 to open itself out, it takes in a quantity of salt 

 water. When it wishes to shut itself up, it 

 spurts the water out, drawing its tentacles close. 



Both mouth and stomach are elastic ; and it is 

 able to swallow animals that are very little 

 smaller than itself Sometimes it gulps up 

 greedily a whole crab or bivalve, digesting the 

 soft animal parts, and getting rid of the useless 

 shell as easily as it gets rid of water, when about 

 to close. 



Soft and mild and helpless as a sea-anemone 

 may seem, it is really far from being defenceless. 



Within that plump body, around the mouth, 

 in the skin, about the tentacles, and along the 

 slender hanging white cords, lie concealed thou- 

 sands, even millions, of weapons. Each weapon 

 is a very fine and delicate thread of hollow make, 

 curled tightly up in a minute cell, ready for use. 



