OUT OF THE DEPTHS 131 



larger and more beautiful than I had ever seen 

 before in any previous years' dredging ; and this 

 place once discovered, I have never since failed 

 to obtain similar specimens when wanted a 

 good illustration how curiously local are the 

 various sea creatures. Their large red flowers 

 protrude from every tube, the living petals sur- 

 rounding a central stopper, and retreating in an 

 instant if the shadow of anything in motion 

 comes across them. In this hasty disappearance 

 they are like another tube-worm, the Sabella, 

 which makes its tube not of lime but of sand 

 and mud, and keeps out its large striped, brownish 

 fan unless actually touched or molested. 



I must pass rapidly over the rest of our after- 

 noon's sport. Every now and then the contents 

 of the dredge are discoloured with a brilliant 

 violet dye, the unfailing indication that we have 

 captured a sea-hare. This curious mollusc carries 

 its shell inside, and like the cuttle-fish, exudes 

 a quantity of colouring matter when captured or 

 disturbed. Its name seems singularly inappli- 

 cable to the round, dark, gelatinous lump which 

 is discovered in the middle of the violet dye, 

 but is readily understood when once the creature 

 has been seen crawling along, sticking up its two 

 comical long ears. Other sea-slugs are captured ; 

 the orange-coloured Doris, its back adorned with 

 the yellow tassel which represents its lungs, and 

 the graceful feathery Eolis. Every haul provides 



