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are smooth on the back, and provided with spines on their margins ; 

 specimens measuring a foot may he picked up on the shore in Lam- 

 lash bay, and individuals of twice that size are procurable by the 

 dredge, or may sometimes be hooked up in shallower water with a 

 common rake. There is another singular creature of great interest 

 to the naturalist it is Comatula rosacea, or the rosy-feathered star- 

 fish a beautiful and elegant example of the radiated form of ani- 

 mated beings. It is found abundantly in Lamlash bay, near the 

 pier on Holy Island, and in other parts of the locality ; but the 

 dredge is required, as this species inhabits deep water that is, 

 depths of about ten fathoms. At some seasons almost any number 

 may be obtained. They are brought up attached to the large sea- 

 weed, Laminaria saccharina, from which they must be removed with 

 care, as they are exceedingly brittle, and, like the Luidi, can break 

 themselves into fragments with astonishing and unpleasant speed. 

 The best way, perhaps, to prepare dry specimens for the cabinet is 

 to treat them as the marine botanist treats the more delicate algae 

 spread them on drawing paper, place over them a piece of smooth 

 linen, and let them dry between folds of blotting paper, under slight 

 pressure ; but, in the first instance, they must be allowed quietly to 

 die in sea water, or more rapidly in a solution of alum for, if 

 immersed in pure fresh water, they will lose their beauty, by the 

 removal of their colouring matter. In order to appreciate the exqui- 

 site form and elegant movements of this star-fish, the creature must 

 be seen and watched in a vivarium, where it will voluntarily fix 

 itself to the sea- weed or to a piece of rock, and, by graceful undula- 

 tions of its arms, will be certain to command admiration. The 

 picture will be greatly enhanced if several individuals of various 

 colours orange, purple, crimson are introduced, and judiciously 

 dispersed. 



113. Before we leave this division of the subject, it will suffice to 

 make brief mention of the well known sea hedgehog, Echinus sphcera, 

 common in most parts of the Clyde, and of which fine specimens are 

 found clinging to the rocks on Holy Island, and at Clachland Point. 

 This curious creature should be carefully examined by the young 

 student of marine zoology . It is allied to the star-fishes ; for although 

 spherical in form, the radiated structure is readily perceived. In 

 short, it is a star-fish, with the spaces between its rays filled up by 

 plates of carbonate of lime the rays themselves consisting of the 

 same material the whole exterior being bent over into a hollow 

 ball, and armed, hedgehog like, or like the star-fish Uraster glacialis, 

 with numerous sharp spines. The viscera, or digestive organs, of 



