468 



Marvels of the Universe 



I'holo hti] 



THE COMMON 



The Urchin has been denuded of 

 in bands extending from summit to b< 

 tions for the water-tubes. 



[//. J. .^hepstone. 

 SEA-URCHIN, 

 spines to show the arrangement of the plates 

 with their bosses for the spines and perfora- 



is inclined to pass the Sea- 

 Hog by as having no further 

 interest for him. Let me say 

 that this is a great mistake. 

 There are few creatures exist- 

 ing that are so wonderfully 

 constructed and organized. 

 Let us consider it for a 

 while. 



The Sea- Urchin is shut up 

 in a stony box which cannot 

 be opened without kilhng 

 the inmate ; it is entirely 

 without any limbs, yet cap- 

 able of walking, not only over 

 horizontal surfaces, but also 

 up vertical rocks and even 

 under the roofs of submarine 

 caverns, with as much ease 

 as on the level. The box in 

 which the creature is encased 

 is a wonderful structure ; and 

 wonderful are the thousands of spines which suggest to a big-mouthed fish that the Urchin, if 

 swallowed, might cause some serious stomachic troubles, and that, in consequence, the Urchin had 

 better be left alone. It is not only on broad, solid surfaces that the Urchin can climb ; he can 

 ascend the slender bars of the crab- and lobster-pots, enter at the summit just as the crab does, 

 and help to chspose of the bait. Naturally, the crabber is annoyed at the Urchin's presence ; he 



looks upon the Urchin as 

 standing in the room of a 

 good-sized crab, and his feel- 

 ings do not allow him to 

 spend time in musing on the 

 marvels of Sea-Hog structure. 

 He is determined that the 

 particular Sea-Hogs he found 

 in his crab-pots this morning 

 shall not trouble him again ; 

 so he brings them to shore in 

 his boat and then clashes 

 them to pieces against the 

 rocks ! In one acquainted 

 with the Sea-Hog's history, 

 this act of vandalism gives 

 rise to feelings such as the 

 china-maniac might experi- 

 ence on seeing some cun- 

 ningly-designed piece of his 

 treasured ware shattered be- 

 fore his eyes. But no human 



■t^^ 



I'holo hij'] 



The spines 

 vhich they move, 

 imall spines. 



-SHELL" 



have all been 

 Each bis 



detached 

 Unob is 



OF A SEA-URCHIN. 



to show clearly the 

 encircled by smaller 



polished bosses upon 

 ones which support 



