ANIMAL-PLANTS AND SEA-WEEDS 109 



interests of those who study the sea-shore in search 

 of Nature-marvels. These are often best seen 

 in her most insignificant and apparently un- 

 important works. To illustrate this, I have 

 collected almost at random a few tiny specimens 

 of what would popularly be considered as "sea- 

 weeds," if they were considered at all ; for all of 

 them would find abundant room in a thimble. 



But there are often many so called " sea-weeds " 

 gathered from the sea-shore by the unscientific 

 and given a place as ornaments in vases, which 

 are really not sea-weeds at all. Fig. 70 exhibits 

 a "sea-weed" arrangement of this kind ; although, 

 as a matter of fact, none of its constituents even 

 belong to the Vegetable Kingdom, but are placed 

 by modern biologists with the animals. My 

 thimbleful of specimens contains many of these 

 animal-plants, for it is seldom that you can gather 

 algae or sea-weeds without finding some of these 

 curious living growths attached. Nor is it only 

 adhering to the fronds of algae that we find them, 

 for it may be from an oyster, or any other shell, 

 or a bit of wood or stone, that the primary bud 

 commenced to branch. 



These plant-like forms, of symmetrical and 

 graceful outline, mimic in general appearance 

 many of the sea-weeds amongst which they live, 

 and may readily be mistaken for them ; but, if we 



