STOCK THE AQUARIUM. 157 



in the confinement of an Aquarium; they soon die, and, 

 decaying, foul the water ; and, inasmuch as they generally 

 keep their shells closed, we may not discover their death 

 until it is too late and the damage is done and they fall 

 off the stone. They seem to require the motion of the 

 water, and that they should be left high and dry by the 

 retreating of the tide, twice every twenty-four hours. It is 

 this species of barnacle, along with another, that attaches 

 itself to the bottoms of ships, and accumulates in such 

 large quantities as very seriously to impede a vessel's mo- 

 tion through the water. These same fellows, the barnacles, 

 with all the interest that attaches to them, are one of the 

 torments of the searcher on the shore, as he will find, if he 

 happen to slip on some fucus-covercd stone, and, stretching 

 out his hand to save himself from falling, happens to lay 

 hold of a stone covered with barnacles ; for he will, most 

 assuredly, get his hand cut and torn in several places as 

 if with penknives, but really with the many shells of these 

 troublesome multivalves. 



Now turn over that large stone in order to see what 

 treasures are hid beneath it. Ah ! it has slipped through 

 your hands because it is covered on the underside with a 

 slimy coating which will bear nearer examination. It is a 

 mass of semi-solid jelly, adhering closely to the rock, and 

 of about the thickness of half an inch. As to its colors, 

 are they not brilliant ? Sec — there is some with a ground- 

 work, nearly white, with little black stars sprinkled all 

 over it, while we see some black with white stars, like 

 the sky at night. Turn over another stone and we shall 

 find it orange, yellow, leek-green, or of a deep ruby, with 



