332 CORAL AND ATOLLS 



blue and wMte mass, thrown on the shores. Besides the 

 Portuguese man-o'-war, there is one other harmful creature to 

 be met with in rock pools, and that is a worm whose sides 

 are fringed with an array of hairs that look as though they 

 were composed of fine spun glass. The hairs of this worm, 

 upon the very least handling, run deep into the flesh, producing 

 an intense irritation ; and their removal is apt to be a matter 

 of some difficulty. 



The majority of the creatures to be found any day on a 

 walk along the barrier at low tide are objects of pure delight, 

 and nothing that I know is quite so good, or quite such a 

 perfect pleasure to a lover of Nature, as the hunting for the 

 many beautiful tropical sea-products in the warm waters about 

 the atoll. 



