294 THE OCEAN WORLD. 



attack of an enemy or the pursuit of some fisherman by a sudden 

 and unexpected movement it ejects its teeth, its stomach, its digestive 

 apparatus, and reduces itself to a simple empty membranous sac, 

 .with an unfurnished mouth ; and, as a singular fact, this empty 

 sac still shrinks and contracts in the hand which grasps it. It must 

 be admitted that this is a strange mode of evading its enemies : the 

 soldier rarely throws his arms away in the moment of danger ! But 

 the Holothurias possess a wonderful recuperative power also ; and it is 

 probably quite conscious, when it thus empties itself to disappoint its 

 pursuer, that it can promptly replace the organs which it has volun- 

 tarily parted with. 



Dr. Johnston relates that he had forgotten for some days to supply 

 a Holothuria with a change of water. The creature, in consequence, 

 ejected its tentacles, its buccal apparatus, digestive tubes, and a portion 

 of its ovaries. Still it was not dead, but was sensible to the least 

 movement, and lived to reproduce all its organs anew. 



Not only do the Holothurias eject their organs and afterwards renew 

 them, but they divide themselves spontaneously into two portions. 

 Their two extremities are first enlarged ; then their middle parts 

 gradually become straight, like a thread : finally, this thread breaks, 

 and each separate part of the animal becomes a perfect Holothuria. 

 It has been cut into two pieces, and each of these species becomes a 

 new being. 



The habits of these animals are but little known. They inhabit 

 the seas, and are spread over every latitude. Their very limited 

 movements consist in a kind of reptation or crawling motion, pro- 

 duced by the undulations of their bodies or by the contractions of 

 their feet. Holothurias are generally found in the act of creeping 

 upon stones or on portions of submarine rock, but always in sheltered 

 places, for they appear to dread the action of light. They sometimes 

 find themselves caught by fishermen in their nets. If held in the 

 hand they contract, their bodies become hard and rigid, and the sea 

 water with which they are filled is ejected with force. We need not 

 add that fishermen reject with disdain the Holothurias taken in their 

 nets ; the sea-cucumber has never been thought worthy of a place 

 on our tables. Truth is on this side, error on that, is a maxim as 

 true in morals as in cookery. The sea-cucumber, which Europeans 

 disdain, is a favourite dish among the Chinese. The fishery, prepara- 



