n8 THE SEA-SHORE 



them will cause a great deal of pain. If you 

 have a thin skin, indeed, the sting of this terrible 

 jellyfish may make you very seriously ill, and 

 several weeks may pass before the effects of 

 the poison pass away. 



Yet the fishing-threads of this jellyfish are 

 scarcely thicker than hairs, and the little darts 

 which do so much mischief are so slender that 

 you cannot see them at all without the help of 

 a good strong microscope. Doesn't it seem 

 strange that such tiny weapons can be so dread- 

 fully poisonous? 



PLATE XL 



THE SEA ACORN (2) 



This is a very common jellyfish indeed; yet 

 hardly anybody ever sees it. That is because 

 it is very small and very transparent, so that 

 as it swims about in the water it is almost 

 invisible. And if it is flung up on the beach 

 it dries up in a very few minutes. But if you 

 want to look at it, you can very easily do so. 

 On a warm, still day, when the sea is quite 

 smooth, just dip a small net into the water, 

 and work it gently to and fro. Then lift it out 

 and examine the sides carefully, and you are 

 almost sure to see three or four little lumps 

 of jelly, not much bigger than peas. These are 



