CHAPTER 1. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 



Enumeration of some of the various uses of marine products — Animals — Shells 

 — Isinglass — Fish skins and leather— Fish scales — Various oils, etc. 



Of the radiate animals, we have among the useful ones the 

 edible beche-de-mer or Holothuria (already described), the 

 sea-eggs, sea-urchins, or sea-chestnuts {Echini)^ which are 

 frequently used as food when full of spawn, and star-fish 

 for manure. 



Among those which are ornamental may be named 

 the stony corals, the red "organ-pipe" coral {Tubipora 

 musica), sea-fans and gorgonas, and madrepores. 



The vast number of small marine animals, particularly 

 the shell-fish and corals, are of extreme importance to the 

 general economy of nature, acting as scavengers ; inasmuch 

 as they in the ocean, in the same manner with insects upon 

 the earth, incessantly destroy, consume, and as it were 

 metamorphose, an infinite variety of noxious, hurtful, or 

 superfluous substances. 



To man they are in so far serviceable that many of the 

 mollusca, or naked soft worms, and the shell-fish are 

 eatable, some forming a principal article of diet to many 



