194 EAMBLES OF A NATUKALIST. [Oh. Xn. 



of Olives are produced here of a very rich dark brown ap- 

 proaching to black. This is probably a local variety. 



Every stone is covered with tunicates and sponges of 

 various forms and colours, and beautiful silky worms occur, 

 whose delicate lateral fringes run iuto the skin upon the 

 slightest contact, causing considerable and disagreeable 

 irritation. Echinoderms, however, did not appear to be 

 abundant either here or in any other of the places which 

 I visited. 



Some magnificent Feather-stars (Comatulae) presented 

 themselves, which I much regretted could not be preserved 

 in some way. Their forms were so complicated, however, 

 that time did not permit of my drawing them with such 

 accuracy as to be useful for scientific purposes, and I was 

 not successful in preserving them entire. One of them was 

 of a rich carmine, and 6J inches in diameter, breaking very 

 easily; and even in the fresh sea-water it discharged its 

 colour very rapidly, pouring it out like blood, staining the 

 hand, and strongly tinging the water ; and itself passing 

 from carmine to a rich yeUow, and thence to crimson, until 

 nothing was left but a quantity of dingy fragments, which 

 gave no indication of what it had been. A second species 

 was of a rich olive green, ynth the distal ends of the 

 arms white for 1^ inch, the whole diameter being 9J 

 inches. This splendid specimen did not show any special 

 inchnation to break up, but discharged its colour to some 

 extent into the water; and in the attempt to dry it, lost 

 it all, 



I have found the directions given for killing these animals 

 entire quite ineffectual. In the case of a Comatula which 

 came up on the anchor in Haitan Straits, I was successfiU in 

 preserving a record of it, by drawing and description ; but 



