COLOMBO. 247 



high and dry. The little animals clung by means of the converg- 

 ing sjDines on their under surface, and to get them off it was neces- 

 sary to work the point of a screw-driver under, and pry at them 

 patiently until the spines were loosened from the rock, and the 

 fragile animals came off without being damaged. 



It was impossible to secure large specimens without getting wet 

 in the surf, so it was well we came prepared. There was a strong 

 breeze blowing, and the surf was much higher than usual, which at 

 times made our task somewhat interesting. One moment I would 

 be working away among the bare rocks, and the next the surf would 

 come tearing in between the huge bowlders with a boom and a 

 rush, so that in an instant the M'ater would be boiling and frothing 

 up to my waist. Once or twice I was carried off my feet by the 

 force of the surf, but it would presently recede, and then I could 

 go on with my task until the next roller came in. It was rather 

 lively work, but we secured a basketful of fine large specimens. 



In our search for echini, we came upon some very curious Httle 

 jumping fishes {Salarius alticiis) which were hopping about over the 

 rocks, apparently as lively and comfortable out of the water as in. 

 Every time a roller came in, they received a good wetting, but when 

 it receded they were always found clinging to the sides of the rocks, 

 quite high and dry. It was a strange sight to see the little crea- 

 tures go jumping up the sides of the smooth and slippery rocks, 

 sometimes so steep as to be almost perpendicular. They bend their 

 tails as far as possible toward the left, straighten their bodies sud- 

 denly, with the caudal fin stuck to the rock, and jump straight for- 

 ward from six to eighteen inches at a time. They are four and a 

 half inches long, slender bodied, with a queer little comb or crest 

 on the head, light gray in color, with red eyes. Sometimes one 

 would ho}) up the side of the rock and perch himself on top, ap- 

 parently to view the scenery around him. They were so nimble 

 that we had great trouble in catching as many as we needed. 



We saw many fine specimens of the handsome painted crab 

 {Graspus strigosus), scrambling over the rocks, and after hard work, 

 caught a few to show the natives, as samples of what we wanted. 



Echinoderms, or "sea eggs," as they are sometimes called, are 

 cleaned by cutting away the membrane which closes the mouth and 

 entirely removing the jaws, or "Aristotle's lantern." Then, with a 

 piece of iron wire flattened at the end, all the fleshy matter adher- 

 ing to the inside of the shell must be scraped loose and drawn out 

 at the mouth opening, after which the inside of the shell should be 



