HOLOTHUlfA. 19 



t met description, ami the most impel t..t representation, from the days 

 .if (Ii-sner in the sixteenth century, down to the present era ; for, un 



ii solitary examples of a few of the more learned, an uninterrupted 

 aerie* of errors ha- led tin- others astray. So completely has the sub- 

 ject IN -en overlooked, that, although the et \ mology of the name //<>/ 

 thurin may In- conjecture*!. 1 know not anv author \\ho treats of its ori- 

 gin or derivation.* 



l5*->ide> the !'e\\ auxiliaries of the -..lulnu- -tudi-nt. the traii-H-nt 



oU-vrver i- certainly exposed to delusion, from the utter dissimilarity of 

 the Holothuria in it.- active and pa i\e state. No two animals, in ma- 

 turity, can be more unlike than this single creature is to itself. It is 

 wholly a simple l>ag. or partialU a beautiful flower, or luxuriant arbo- 

 rewn< > 



An intimate knowledge of only the external form of the Holothuria, 

 in therefore absolutely dependent on patient preservation of living spe- 

 eimens, and the opj>ortunities which they offer to u to study them. 



If these be favourable, the observer will not be slow in discovering 

 that the characteristic Eclu>i<l<rin<ita is of the most doubtful application, 

 and that none of the definition- hitherto proposed or adopted will dis- 

 tinuui-h the race intelligibly, lie-cause there is no common resemblance 

 sufficiently precise among all its im-inKcrs. At least that resemblance \ 

 not yet explained. 



In several instances also we find several different Holothurue re- 

 ceiving the same name from different authors, and the same Holothuria 

 distinguished by different names from the same author ; all tending to 

 aggravate the perplexities, besides unnecessarily multiplying the number 

 of species. Much of this, indeed, ensues from the difficulty of the sub- 

 ject. It is not an easy matter to satisfy each originating doubt by re- 

 sorting to the bottom of the sea for authority. All researches there are 

 liable to the most uncertain result. 



Nevertheless, it is possible that, by the personal study of these re- 



* GUNEBUA, /cone* Animalium, considers one specie* u motionUm, others M 

 little from pUoU, p. 26 1 .'. 



