THE CORK-SCREW CORALLINE. 3G7 



ally led to the question, Is it an organ, or a parasite ? The 

 invariability of the position, and there being never more 

 than one bird's head to each animal, seem to point to its 

 being an organ ; but if so, what can be its function ? Mr 

 Gosse has suggested an ingenious answer : " Several ob- 

 servers have noticed the seizure of small roving animals by 

 these pincer-like beaks ; and hence the conclusion is j^retty 

 general that they are in some way connected with the pro- 

 curing of food. But it seems to have been forgotten, not 

 only that these organs have no power of passing the prey 

 thus seized to the mouth, but also that this latter is situated 

 at the bottom of a funnel of ciliated tentacles, and is calcu- 

 lated to receive only such minute prey as is drawn within 

 the ciliary vortex. I venture to suggest a new explanation. 

 The seizure of a passing animal, and the holding it in the 

 tenacious grasp until it dies, may be the means of attracting 

 the proper prey to the vicinity of the mouth. The presence 

 of decomposing animal matter in water invariably attracts 

 crowds of infusory animalcules, which then breed with 

 amazing rapidity, so as to form a cloud of living atoms 

 around the decaying body quite visible in the aggregate to 

 the unassisted eye ; and these remain in the vicinity, play- 

 ing round and round until the organic matter is quite con- 

 sumed."* 



The animalcules thus attracted would be whirled into the 

 animal's mouth by means of its ciliated tentacles, and thus 

 the bird's head would be ancillary to the capture of food. 



* Gosse -. Ttnhy, a Sea-side Holiday, p. 52. 



