158 DREDGING RESULTS. 



the glassy surface of the sea, a small ohject was seen 

 floating ahead, towards which we pulled. It proved 

 to he a fine specimen of the Sordid Dragonet CCalli- 

 onymus dracunculusj; a fish which does not usually 

 come to the surface, much less float there. It seemed 

 stupified, making not the least attempt to escape, as 

 we lifted it with the hand-net, and placed it in a pan of 

 water. There, however, it seemed in no wise injure,d, 

 but was as lively as so sluggish a fish usually is, 

 playing on the bottom of the vessel. What could 

 have caused it to lie in the burning rays of the sun, 

 on the top of the sea ? 



The dredges yielded me a fair harvest of zoologi- 

 cal varieties : — prettily painted Shrimps fCrantfonJ; 

 graceful Prawns of the genera Palmmon, Vandalus, 

 and Hippolyte; the Tiny Cockle (Gardium exiguumj; 

 two minute Tops (Trochus exiyuus, and T. striatus) ; 

 the porcellain-like Naticas fN. Alderi and N. monili- 

 feraj, remarkable for the enormous masses of white 

 gelatinous flesh which they protrude when they crawl, 

 investing and almost concealing the shell ; a few Star- 

 fishes and Urchins; plenty of .(4se«rf2<g and Botryllidce; 

 various Annelides ; — Hermits and Spider-crabs by 

 scores ; several specimens of the beautiful Cloak Ane- 

 mone (Adamsia maculataj; and a few of that magnifi- 

 cent species, the Plumose Anemone {Actinia dianthus), 

 as well as the Parasitic, the Daisy, and the Weymouth 

 Anemones {A. parasitica, hellis, and clavata). Some 

 of these I have already described; others I shall take 

 occasion to allude to ; I will here content myself with 

 a notice of one of the most gorgeously clad of all 

 the creatures that inhabit the deep, — the Sea Mouse. . 



