VII. 

 A POETUGUESE MAN-OF-WAR. 



THE MEDUSAE FAMILY. 



"A Portuguese man-of-war has been 

 stranded below on the beach," announced Mr. 

 Bremely, one evening upon his return home. 

 " It will pay you all to go down and see it." 



Tom hastened to impart the information to 

 Dr. McLean, who promised to Join the excur- 

 sion in the morning. He came and met Un- 

 dine with the words : " I have brought a Crept- 

 dula in which to convey our Aphrodite to the 

 scene of interest ; it would be too long a walk 

 for her." 



Undine laughingly answered : " I know 

 what a Orepidula is ! I have some of the shells 

 in my cabinet ; they look like fairy boats with 

 a seat in one end, and Cousin Ellen told me 

 they had been called ' one-seated shallops whose 

 boatmen had departed.' You mean I am to 

 ride in something nice ; but why call me Aphro- 

 dite ? I don't know about that long word." 



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