112 



THE "crass" edible. 



beautiful ^sop prawn, on which I rather prided 

 myself, and a young gurnard. It did not eat 

 either of these creatures, but simply caught 

 them, and retained them until they were dead. 

 How they were killed I do not exactly know; 

 but it is suggested with some reason, that the 

 capsular threads convey with them a kind of 

 poison, that is effectual enough among the 

 smaller animals, but not sufficiently powerful to 

 affect human beings. 



The coating of little stones and broken shell 

 has already been mentioned. These substances 

 are evidently chosen instinctively with a view to 

 concealment, and are fastened to the body by 

 little sucker-like protuberances, with which the 

 greater part of its surface is studded. If the 

 animal is used for culinary purposes, for which 

 it seems to be adapted as well as the oyster or the 

 periwinkle, this shelly coating must be removed ; 

 an operation which is easily enough effected by 

 the fingers, and not so tedious as plucking a 

 fowl. There is no difficulty in finding a suffi- 

 cient number to form a respectable dish, for 

 any one who knows where to search, and what to 

 see, may capture an unlimited supply in an hour 

 or so. 



I conclude this short history of the creature by 



