The Holuthurta. 8r 
in their brightly-coloured cells, or lying hidden in their beds of 
soft jelly, drawing from the ocean small particles of lime and 
building them up into their coral cities; there were starfish, moving 
their snaky arms restlessly to and fro, and little shellfish, opening 
their shells to feed on their invisible food; there were nimble 
crabs running over the rocks and disappearing into dark mys- 
terious recesses ; and in the still water there flashed a multitude 
of small fish of gorgeous colours—blue, green, or striped with 
many shades ; while along the bottom of the pool there lay the 
dark, sluggish, and hideous-looking body of the holuthuria, 
or beche de mer. 
The manners and customs of the last-named animal are so 
decidedly peculiar, and it is so much sought after and valued, 
that I will devote a few lines specially to it. 
The holuthuria has the wonderful power of turning itself in- 
side out when in an unhappy frame of mind, and this, ap- 
parently, without suffering the slightest inconvenience. Then 
if it be cut into halves, instead of dying, as most creatures 
would under such painful circumstances, it developes into two 
holuthurias, each half becoming a separate and complete animal. 
I got my man to fish out for me the one in the pool, but it 
was a lazy specimen; at all events it did not distinguish 
itself in any way whatever, but pape to be hung over 
a tree without opposition. 
Repulsive as these creatures are in appearance, they are much 
esteemed by the Chinese as an article of food, being boiled by 
them into a thick rich soup, which is considered a great delicacy. 
4150 per ton is a considerable price to pay for fish; but all 
that John will give, if he only can get his holuthuria broth. 
When taken from the sea, they are boiled and dried on the 
spot, which process reduces them from say a foot in length to 
three or four inches, but renders them quite solid and hard. 
There are, I believe, a good many about these islands, but 
G 
