248 ZOOPHYTES. 



fucus, known in old times by the name of Sea-oak. 

 The shoots often cover a large portion of the sea- 

 weed, originating from a slender hollow thread, 

 which is a link between them all. This small 

 coralline is very common, being sometimes found 

 on other species of our marine plants. Few who 

 look at this little horny thread, would think that 

 it was the production and home of innumerable 

 living flower-like polypes, each provided with 

 fourteen arms, by means of which it can catch prey 

 for the food of the corn-muni ty; and which, though 

 low in the scale of animal organization, yet seems 

 to have been created for active enjoyment. 



Another delicate and elegant coralline, often 

 found on old shells on the stems of Tangle, and 

 also as a parasite on other zoophytes, is the Lily 

 or Pomegranate-flowering Coralline (Sertularia 

 rosacea). It is of a white or pale horn colour, 

 very slender, and only one or two inches high. 

 Its vesicles are most elegantly formed, and Ellis 

 compared them to a lily or pomegranate flower 

 just opening. 



There is a pretty zoophyte, so common, that if 

 our engraving or description convey a just idea of 

 it, every one frequenting our shores will remem- 

 ber to have seen it, perhaps to have placed it 

 among a collection of sea-weeds, or brought some 

 of its delicate tufts home as an ornament for the 

 mantel-piece. It has the same horny texture, 

 the same plant-like appearance, as all the other 

 species of this interesting family of zoophytes. 

 The common Sea-hair (Sertularia operculata) grows 

 in long tufts of fine horny threads, on several of 

 the sea-weeds, but especially on the Digitate 

 Tangle. It is sometimes even twelve inches high, 



