THE SYNAPTA. 719 



into a rich and palatable soup, and are also stewed in various ways, taking, in fact, the 

 same rank among the Chinese that turtle does with us. The Trepang is prepared for 

 the market by being carefully opened and cleansed, laid in lime, and then dried either 

 in the sun or over wooden fires. 



Crawling up the stem of the sea-weed may be seen an odd-looking little creature, called 

 the PSOLINUS, remarkable for the great length of the ambulacrae, which lift it well above 

 the object on which it walks. Owing to this fact, it has quite an intelligent aspect as it 

 crawls along, with its beautiful crown of tentacles expanded, and waving in the water. 



The two larger figures represent the same species in different aspects, the upper 

 showing its under surface, and the lower exhibiting its appearance while walking. In 

 these two curious genera, the ambulacrae are only distributed in the under surface, and 

 in the present example are placed in three rows on a flattened disk, which occupies 

 part of the under surface. 



IN the genus PENTACTE. the ambulacrae are placed in a series of parallel rows along 

 the body, sometimes six, but mostly five in number. The two upper figures in the il- 

 lustration on page 720 represent a member of this genus under two conditions. 



It is a remarkable fact, that when one of the Holothuridae is alarmed, or suffers 

 from indigestion, or is affected in any way, it proceeds to an act which is the exact ana- 

 logue of the Japanese custom of " happy despatch." Under any or either of these cir- 

 cumstances, it proceeds to disembowel itself, and does so with a completeness and promp- 

 titude that are almost incredible. It disgorges the whole of its interior, with all the com- 

 plicated arrangement that render the Holothuridae such singular beings to dissect, casts 

 away all its viscera, its stomach, and even throws off the beautiful bell of tentacles. 



Having done this, and reduced itself to the condition of an empty skin, which can- 

 not eat because it has no mouth and no stomach, and will not walk, because it has no 

 object for locomotion, it remains perfectly quiescent for some months. At the expira- 

 tion of that period, a fresh set of tentacles begin to make their appearance ; they are 

 followed by other portions ; and after a while, the animal is furnished with a completely 

 new set of the important organs which it had cast away. It seems a singular cure for 

 indigestion, but no one can deny its efficacy. 



The uppermost figure was taken from a living specimen which had first flung off its 

 tentacles, then turned its stomach inside out, then thrown it aside, and six mouths after- 

 wards was still alive. The central figure represents the same species in its ordinary 

 state, with its beautiful tenacles protruded. 



The lowermost figure represents a fine species of SEA CUCUMBER, which has received 

 its generic name from its great resemblance to that vegetable. The smaller species 

 are appropriately named Sea Gherkins. The food of all these animals consists of 

 marine molluscs and other small inhabitants of the sea. The complete but empty 

 shell of several small molluscs have been found within the stomach of dissected speci- 

 mens, proving that the creature must have swallowed the shell entire, and dissolved 

 out its inhabitant by the process of digestion. 



It may as well be mentioned that the only vestige of a skeleton in these creatures is 

 a ring of chalky substance surrounding the beginning of the intestinal canal, and for- 

 med of ten pieces, five large and as many small. To this curious ring are attached 

 the longitudinal muscles of the body, by which the creature can lengthen or shorten itself 

 at will, the expansion and contraction of the body being due to a series of transverse 

 muscular fibres. The longitudinal muscles are ten in number, and are arranged in 

 five pairs. 



THE uppermost figure in the illustration on page 721 is another example of the Cucu- 

 mariae, and is here given in order to show the beautiful mouth with its crown of tentacles. 



The other figures represent a most singular being called the SYNAPTA, from a Greek 

 word signifying to seize hold of anything. This name is given to it because, when the 

 hand is drawn over its surface, the skin is slightly arrested by some invisible agency. 



On taking off part of the skin of the Synapta and placing it under the microscope, a 

 most wonderful sight is disclosed. The skin is furnished with a number of little tubercles 



