142 MARVELS OF FISH LIFE 
how the tube-feet were stretched to their utmost 
whilst supporting his whole weight unassisted by the 
buoyancy of the sea. Attached to a rock near by, we 
found a fine specimen only a few inches under the 
surface ; my brother took off his coat and held it as a 
shield to cut off the light from the sky above, and then 
hanging over the edges of the rock I waited for the 
moment when the water was slack, just between two 
incoming waves, and obtained a photograph as shown. 
Next we collected a few specimens and carried them 
to the shore, and placed them in a quiet rock pool. 
In this position the urchin at once realised that he was 
exposed to attack, and extending his tube-feet he grasped 
the seaweed around, and pulling the leaves over him, 
in ten minutes was out of sight. 
We also took back a specimen to photograph in the 
tank on the following day. 
The urchin was placed on a projecting point of rock 
to which he soon attached himself, but this position 
was not to his liking, and in the right-hand bottom 
corner of the dome, several tube-feet are to be seen 
pawing the water, as the creature endeavoured to get 
hold of something solid in order to climb down from his 
uncomfortable perch. 
When placed in a tank devoid of seaweed, the 
concealing instincts of the urchin made him cover 
himself up with stones and shells in his desire to escape 
detection. 
The urchin is edible, and I have heard that he is 
