2l6 



Marvels of the Universe 



A SEA CUCUMBER THAT RESEMBLES A 



form that difFers remarkably from the ordinary Sea Cucumbe 



bi-; A sll:g 



and mud at the sea-bottom and feeds upon 



It glides over the ooz 

 this material. 



In size they vary from 

 a length of three or four 

 inches to a couple of feet 

 or more. Their food con- 

 sists of anything, living or 

 dead, which comes within 

 their reach and which is 

 not too bulky to enter the 

 mouth. 



The limy plates which 

 occur in the skin of some 

 species are often of very 

 beautiful patterns — St. An- 

 drew's crosses, curious little 

 stools, and wheels with 

 spokes, being among the 

 common forms ; whilst they 

 also occur as exquisitely 

 shaped little anchors, each anchor accompanied by a perforated supporting plate. 



Mr. Moseley, in his " Notes by a Naturalist on H.M.S. Challenger," tells how " the King [of the 

 Sandwich Islands, Kalakau] took the liveliest interest in the work of the Challenger , and was almost 

 the only distinguished visitor of the many to whom I had exhibited microscopical objects during our 

 voyage who recognized the well-known anchors in the skin of these creatures and named them at 

 first glance. These anchors stood us in good stead at all the ports visited and were described in all 

 the colonial newspapers as belonging to the ' Admiralty worm,' supposed to be the most wonderful 

 of the deep-sea discoveries of the expedition." On page 218 is given a photo-micrograph of some 

 of these. 



Some of the Sea Cucumbers are highly prized as an article of food under the names of Trepang 

 and Beche de Mer ; they form the subject of extensive fisheries in various seas, notably in the Malay 

 Archipelago, the New Guinea coast and California. 



The Chinese appreciate them highly and rank them with the gelatinous " bird's-nests " as 



an ingredient for soups. 



When taken from the 

 sea the Sea Cucumbers are 

 split open and cleaned ; 

 they are then boiled in sea- 

 water, flattened out and 

 dried on wicker frames — 

 first in the sun, and then 

 over a wood fire, where they 

 are slightly smoked. They 

 are then packed for market 

 and command a good price. 

 About a dozen sorts are 

 thus employed, their value 

 varying according to dis- 

 trict and to species, those 

 with the fewest limy plates 

 being considered the best. 



A SLUG-LIKE SEA CUCUMBER. 



A deep-water species that feeds on the ooze at the sea-bottom. In form it closely resembles 

 one of the Sea Lemons among the Sea Slugs. 



