310 COMMON OBJECTS OF THE SHORE. 



tines are generally found full of coral or similar 

 substances, sometimes in large pieces. Unpleasing 

 as are these animals to us, yet the Malays of the 

 Oriental Isles search for them, in order to sell 

 them to the Chinese; and fleets of the Malay 

 boats visit the isles at the north of Australia, and 

 the shores of New Holland and New Zealand, 

 to procure them. As Bymer Jones humorously 

 remarks, " They form an important addition to 

 the fried earthworms, swallows' nests, and other 

 luxuries which grace a bill of fare in the Celestial 

 Empire." These Holothurice are more plentiful 

 in the East than in our seas, though we have 

 fifteen species, and there are probably many yet 

 undiscovered. They are sometimes found in num- 

 bers among the tangled masses of sea-weeds near 

 the shore, but are more frequently procured by 

 diving ; and when split and dried over the smoke 

 of a wood fire, are termed Trepang. In the Mo- 

 luccas, the pine-apple HolotJiuria is nearly two 

 feet long. On the Neapolitan coast, too, the 

 sea-cucumbers are large and plentiful, and they 

 there form a common article of diet to the 

 poor. 



But passing on to the common animals of our 

 coast, we must advert to the Prickly Sea-mouse 

 (ApJirodita aculeata), which, during the winter 

 months, is not an unfrequent visitant of various 

 parts of the shore, where it may be found lurking 

 on some ridge of sea-weeds which the tide has left 

 to tell where it has flowed. At Dovor this little 

 creature may often be picked up after a stormy 

 day ; but he who searches for it must not expect 

 to find any very marked resemblance to the mouse 

 of the field or dwelling. Unlike thatjittle bright- 



