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Sect. XI.] 



ZOOLOGY. 



45 



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has more than one mouth, is " sensitive/ or retracts and 

 shrinks when touched. For the purposes of the collector 

 corals may be divided into the '* fleshy " (Polypi carnosCp 

 in which the flesh has no firm supporting part ; the 

 " horny '' or " flexible," usually having this supporting 

 substance as an external tube ; and the ^^ calcareous," in 

 which the supporting substance is usually covered by the 

 animal matter or flesh, forming an internal skeleton, 



usually of one piece, rarely jointed. 



The above-defined classes of organized beings, whi^^h 

 all present the ^* habit ' ^ or outward form, more or less, 

 of plan^^. are found from the extreme of high-water mark 

 to the depth of from 50 to 100 fathoms. Living algae 

 rarely descend below 50 fathoms, but corals of the 

 genera Lepralia^ Retepora^ and Tlomera have been 

 dredged up from 270 fathoms, and fragments of dead 

 coral from 400 fathoms.* Specimens within the reach of 

 the tide are to be collected at low water, especially of 

 spring tides : the most interesting species occur at the 

 verge of low-water mark. Those that dwell at greater 

 depths must be sought by dredging, or by dragging after 

 a boat an iron cross furnished with 

 hooks. One or more stron 



numerous strong 



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bottles 



with wide 



mouths, or a hand-besket lined with japanned tin, should 

 be provided for the purpose of bringing on board the 

 smaller and more delicate species in sea-water, and tliev 



should be kept in it, the 



Fioridecd'^ more especially, 



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until they can be arranged for drying, or other modes of 

 pcrraancnt preservation can he attended to. 



In collecting alg;o, corallines, or the branched, liorny, 



* Capt- Sir James C. Ross, ' Antarctic Vojage,' Appendix, No. IV. 



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