464 KEELING [SLAND. [cmap. xx, 
held biscuits, the lid being secured with wire; but the crab 
turned down the edges and escaped. In turning down the edges, 
it actually punched many small holes quite through the tin ! 
I was a good deal surprised by finding two species of coral of 
the genus Millepora (M. complanata and alcicornis), possessed 
of the power of stinging. The stony branches or plates, when 
taken fresh from the water, have'a harsh feel and are not slimy, 
although possessing a strong and disagreeable smell. The sting- 
ing property seems to vary in different specimens: when a piece 
was pressed or rubbed on the tender skin of the face or arm, a 
pricking sensation was usually caused, which came on after the 
interval of a second, and lasted only for a few minutes. One 
day, however, by merely touching my face with one of the 
branches, pain was instantaneously caused ; it increased as usual 
after « few seconds, and remaining sharp for some minutes, was 
perceptible for half an hour afterwards. The sensation was as 
bad as that from a nettle, but more like that caused by the Phy- 
salia or Portuguese man-of-war. Little red spots were produced 
on the tender skin of the arm, which appeared as if they would 
have formed watery pustules, but did not. M. Quoy mentions 
this case of the Millepora ; and I have heard of stinging corals 
in the West Indies. Many marine animals seem to have this 
power of stinging: besides the Portuguese man-of-war, many 
jelly-fish, and the Aplysia or sea-slug of the Cape de Verd 
Islands, it is stated in the voyage of the Astrolabe, that an Acti- 
nia or sea-anemone, as well as a flexible coralline allied to Ser- 
tularia, both possess this means of offence or defence. In the 
Fast Indian sea, a stinging sea-weed is said to be found. 
Two species of fish, of the genus Scarus, which are common 
here, exclusively feed on coral: both are coloured of a splendid 
bluish-green, one living invariably in the lagoon, and the other 
amongst the outer breakers. Mr. Liesk assured us, that he had 
repeatedly seen whole shoals grazing with their strong bony jaws 
on the tops of the coral branches: I opened the intestines of 
several, and found them distended with yellowish calcareous 
sandy mud. The slimy disgusting Holuthurie (allied to our 
star-fish), which the Chinese gourmands are so fond of, also feed 
largely, as I am informed by Dr. Allan, on corals; and the bony 
apparatus within their bodies seems well adapted for this end. 
