58 THE OCEAN, 



of flfishy organs, called tentacles, arranged in rows ex- 

 tending all round. In the centre of the expanding 

 disk is the real mouth, or opening into the stomach. 

 It is these tentacles, which, spreading around exactly 

 like the rays of an aster or marigold, give to the 

 Polype so striking a likeness to a flower. These 

 animals are exceedingly voracious ; though, when 

 closed, you would think them mere lumps of jelly- 

 like flesh, utterly helpless and incapable of any exer- 

 tion ; yet, when the tentacles are all expanded, no small 

 crab, or shrimp, or mussel, can even touch one of them 

 with impunity. These are so many hands put forth 

 to capture i)rey, and eminently are they furnished for 

 their work. Within the skin of these organs reside 

 countless multitudes of microscopically minute cells, 

 called cnidce. Each of these is an oblong bladder, 

 inclosing in its cavity a kind of wire of great length, 

 but closely coiled up. At the will of the animal, or 

 under certain sorts of stimulus, this coiled wire is 

 suddenly shot forth, and enters the flesh of the 

 animal to be seized. Thousands of these weapons 

 are projected at the same instant, and they are 

 curiously barbed, so that they cannot be withdrawn 

 when once they have penetrated. Besides this, the 

 wound is accompanied with the injection of some 

 fluid of most fatally poisonous power, so that the 

 creature assailed, though apparently of far more 

 vigorous strength than its sluggish opponent, almost 

 inevitably succumbs, and presently dies. 



Meanwhile, other tentacles have come into contact 

 with the prey, and by their contraction it is dragged 

 across the disk to the mouth. The circular lip now 



