WORMS. 201 



of a watch. The interior is hollow, and within the cav- 

 ity a stomach is plainly to be seen ; the foot or base is 

 fleshy, but they can detach themselves, fix, or crawl 

 about on the rocks, by its aid ; of a brilliant red color, 

 they look like beautiful flowers growing on the bottom 

 of the sea. If touched, they sting like the nettle ; if cut 

 in two, each fragment reproduces a new being. They 

 bring forth their young, which escape from the mouth, 

 living, and are eatable ; there are several species. 



To the Sea-stars belong 



The Sea Hedge Hoy or Sea Eggs (echinus escu- 

 lentus), which are about as large as an apple ; have five 

 spinous rays; in these radii are small openings from 

 which perforations the long tentacula or membraneous 

 feet protrude. They crawl on their mouths, searching 

 round on the bottom for crabs, on which they feed ; they 

 are eatable. 



The Common Sea Star (asteria rubens) is composed 

 of five rays ; star shaped, with small rugged knobs on 

 the back, and measures a span in diameter. 



The Medusa (euryale caput Medusae). The border 

 rays divide themselves into branches capable of contrac- 

 tion or dilatation. The body, a span in length, is broad, 

 more or less convex, resembles the cap or umbrella of a 

 mushroom ; red, like coral ; rough and knobbed like that 

 of a shark. It lives in the Arctic seas, and may be seen 

 swimming, which motion is performed by the contraction 

 or dilatation of the tentacula, which form the margin of 

 the umbrella, and probably serves it to seize the small 

 mollusca on which it feeds. 



The Indian Medusa (asterias euryale), also called 

 the Gorgorfs Head. The disk is divided into five 

 ragged branches about the length of a hand ; each of 



