THE SEA-MOUSE. 
533 
curious appendages arise from the alternate segments of the body, and are continued in two 
rows along the back almost to the very end of the body. 
If placed under a good microscope, the transparent walls of these cirri permit the blood to 
be seen coursing through them. This is not, however, a very easy operation, as the creature 
is very timid, and when touched will contract the cirri into a shapeless bundle. When, how- 
ever, the Cirrhatulus is quite at its ease, recumbent in its rocky home, it permits the cirri to 
lie flat on the ground, where they surround it like a mass of red worms continually writhing 
and twining throughout their length. 
It is one of the light-hating creatures, always seeking a retreat under some stone or in a 
cleft of a marine rock ; and it is, moreover, protected by a mass of sand, mud, and slime, which 
it collects around its body, so as effectually to disguise its shape. The length of the Cirrhatu- 
lus is about four inches, and its color is mostly red, with a tinge of brown. 
The members of the genus Syllis may be easily distinguished by the shape of the 
tentacles, which are jointed in such a manner as to resemble closely the beads of a necklace. 
The number of the tentacles is always uneven, and this fact serves to separate them from an 
allied genus, where their number is even. 
The Sea-mouse, a creature with a hairy coat, possesses beauties which never fail to strike 
even the unobservant eye of a casual passenger, as the wondrous hues of ruby, emerald, sap- 
phire, and every imaginable gem, flash from the coat of this breathing rainbow. Each hair 
of the Sea-mouse is a living prism, and when held singly before the eyes is a most magnificent 
object in spite of its small dimensions, flinging out gleams of changing colors as it is moved in 
the fingers, or the direction of the light is changed. I have often thought that if Shakespeare 
had only known of the Aphrodite, he might have furnished Queen Mab with a still more fairy- 
like conveyance. 
Yet the habits of the creature seem to be quite out of accordance with its exceeding 
beauty. When the sunlight falls on its surface, the many-hued hairs give forth a chromatic 
radiance which is almost painful to the eyes from its very intensity ; and it would be but 
natural to conclude that the Aphrodite made its home in the sunniest spots, and welcomed the 
dawn with gladness. Such, however, is not the case ; for this beautiful creature, which wears 
all the colors of the humming-bird and seems equally a child of the sun, passes its life under 
stones, shells, and similar localities at the muddy bottom of the sea. 
The whole group of the Aphroditacea is separated from the rest of the order by reason of 
the curious mode in which its respiration is conducted. If the beautiful hairs be pushed aside, 
a series of scales will be seen upon the back, which are guarded by a covering of a loose felt- 
like substance, composed of interwoven hairs. This felt, if it may be so called, acts as a filter, 
which is very necessary, considering the muddy localities in which the creature lives, and per- 
mits the water to pass in a purified state to the breathing apparatus, which is set beneath the 
scales. These scales or plates move up and down, something like the gills of a fish, and by 
their alternating movements have the power of admitting the water and then expelling it in 
regular pulsations. If a recent specimen be examined, a considerable quantity of mud is 
always to be found entangled in the felt-like covering of the scales. 
Sometimes this beautiful annelid attains a considerable size, reaching the length of five or 
even six inches. Generally, however, from three to four inches is the measurement. It is a 
slow-going, but very voracious creature, feeding even upon its own kind, and using its power- 
ful proboscis as a means of capture. 
In some species of this genus, the spines which edge the body are most marvellously 
formed. They are set upon projecting footstalks, and when not required for use can be 
drawn back into the body. Their shape, however, would seem to render such a proceeding 
dangerous, inasmuch as they are formed just like the many -barbed spears used by certain 
savage tribes. In the Aphrodite hispida , for example, they are just like doubly-barbed 
harpoons, and would wound the soft tissues of the body most severely when withdrawn. In 
order, therefore, to prevent this result, each spine is furnished with a sheath composed of two 
blades, which close upon the barbs when the weapon is withdrawn, and open again to allow 
its exit when it is protruded. 
