4e 



On the under surfaces of our rocks will be found plenty of a 

 white or red finger-like, unattractive thing. Its common English 

 names are not elegant, but its grand title is rather pretty, Alcyo- 

 nium digitatum. It is either simple or else branched so as to 

 resemble fingers, and to earn the name of dead man's fingers. In 

 truth, though name and appearance may be both forbidding, the 

 Alcyonium is a most interesting thing. It is, indeed, a polypidom 

 — the abode of many polypes which may be seen very readily. 

 Alcyonium brings us very near the true coral, from which it differs 

 in being leathery instead of hard and chalky. The term coral is 

 widely applied to a good many structures built up by polypes and 

 differing greatly in shape and plan. Books tell us of a West Indian 

 coral called sea fern, on account of its feathery lace-like appearance, 

 which is found, after certain treatment, to be a good material for 

 ladies' hats. The sea fern, which is a floating coral, shaped much 

 hke a fern, ie never found here, but it claims mention because it is 

 described in many books, as one of the most curious of marine 

 productions. For information about corals we must look at the 

 subject at our homes. We may easily get specimens of Alcyonium 

 and place them in sea water to see the polype put out their bodies 

 and extend their eight pointed tentacles. We must now leave the 

 hollow-bodied animals and step up to the spiny skinned Echinoder- 

 mata. Here we introduce ourselves to the well-known Echinus 

 or sea-urchin, and the still more familiar star fish. Some plants 

 we know by misleading names, but none of them are so wide of the 

 mark as the common names of some marine animals. Why should 

 we talk of star fish and call a crab a shell fish ? The sea urchin is 

 unfortunately, not a " common object " with us, so we may not 

 stop to exa:idne either the animal itself or its prickly house. Will 

 you read for yourselves how the spires are connected with the shell 

 by a ball and socket joint — the most perfect kind — and how the 

 shell increases in size ? 



The common star fish abounds on our rocky coast chiefly at 

 extreme low water mark. It is one of a large family formed on the 

 same plan, but varying greatly in size, and in the length of the 

 arms, which are often branched. All members of the family have 

 the habit of throwing off some of their arms, and one fellow (called 

 a Lindia), when terrified, is apt to jerk himself into many pieces. 

 What can we make out of a sluggish star fish ? Let us see. The 

 upper surface is rough and tough ; the arms or rays are simple, and 

 usually five in number, and at the end of each is an organ that does 

 duty as an eye. On the under surface the mouth is situated in the 

 centre, and there are rows of openings from which project the feet 

 or suckers as they might be called. It is by means of these that 

 the animal takes its walks abroad. The starfish is higher in 



