ANIMALS ON A DEAD CORAL BLOCK. 1? 



but in the morning it fell to pieces on being han- 

 dled, although the separated arms still preserved 

 motion and vitality after being thus broken, for at 

 least half an hour. A block of coral rock, that was 

 brought up by a fish-hook from the bottom at one 

 of our anchorages, was interesting from the vast 

 variety and abundance of animal life there was 

 about it. It was a mere worn dead fragment, but its 

 surface was covered with brown, crimson, and yellow 

 nulliporse, many small actiniae, and soft branching 

 corallines, sheets of flustra and eschara, and delicate 

 reteporae, looking like beautiful lacework carved in 

 ivory. There were several small sponges and 

 alcyonia, sea-weeds of two or three species, two 

 species of comatula and one of ophiura of the most 

 delicate colours and markings, and many small, flat, 

 round corals, something like nummuli'jes in external 

 appearance. On breaking into the block, boring 

 shells of several species were found buried in it ; 

 tubes formed by annelida pierced it in all directions, 

 many still containing their inhabitants, while two 

 or three worms, or nereis, lay twisted in and out 

 among its hollows and recesses, in which, likewise, 

 were three small species of crabs. This block was 

 not above a foot in diameter, and was a perfect 

 museum in itself, while its outside glared with 

 beauty from the many brightly and variously co- 

 loured animals and plants. It was by no means a 

 solitary instance ; every block that could be pro- 

 cured from the bottom, in from 10 to 20 fathoms, 

 vol. i. c 



i/O o 



