42 
THE LIVING WORLD. 
variety of species, most prominent of which are lobsters, crabs, cray-fish, shrimps,, 
water fleas, barnacles, snails, sea-urchins, star fish, etc. 
The Coronet Barnacle (Bolones crenatus ) is the name given to a curious 
parasite that fixes itself in the skin of Arctic whales, and sometimes multiplies 
to such an extent as to worry the poor creature into acts of frenzy. To these 
parasites have the rare attacks of whales on ships been attributed. The worried 
mammal, being driven mad by these tormenting parasites, will rush on any 
object at hand, or even wildly throw itself against an iceberg. The Burrowing 
Barnacle is another species that infests whales in the Antarctic sea. These are 
also very annoying, occasionally eating their way through the epidermis and 
far into the blubber, but do not appear to produce such pain as the former 
species. 
The Goose Barnacle (. Lepas anatifera ) is more commonly met with on 
account of its habit of clinging tenaciously to the bottoms of ships, measurably 
retarding the speed, and requiring at times the docking of ships in order to 
scrape off the adhering barnacles from their bottoms. The young of these 
creatures are free and very active little creatures, disporting themselves with 
apparently hilarious freedom, in imitation somewhat 
of the well-known fresh-water whirligig. As they 
grow older, however, their activity diminishes, until 
at length they attach themselves to some rock or 
wooden support, and there remain the rest of their 
lives. Their appearance in the mean time has very 
materially changed from that of a beetle to a mussel, 
so that their identity is entirely lost save to those 
who are familiar with the metamorphosis. 
While adhering to a support the adult barnacle 
is provided with a set of arms called cirri, which 
resemble hairs protruding some inches out of the 
point of the shell. These the creature uses to draw 
into its mouth the microscopic animals that these 
arms attract. Being henceforth fixed in one spot, 
the adult barnacle loses the eyes that are well developed in the young, and the 
same marvellous change is noticeable in losing the rudimentary limbs with which 
the creature js provided in its infancy. They multiply at an astonishing rate, 
and at maturity attach themselves, by instantaneous contact, to any substance at 
hand, whether animate or inanimate, so that they are frequently seen adhering 
to turtles, and even fishes, which are unable to divest themselves of these tor¬ 
mentors. 
Fish Lice, or Pcecilopoda , is an order of Crustacea that are parasites on 
various fishes. The Greek name given them signifies many-footed , on account 
of a provision which enables them to walk, swim, bite, and to breathe either in 
or out of water. Their mouths have sharp mandibles, out of which projects a 
horny tube, which the animal strikes into its prey, reaching to the small blood 
v vessels, which it drains while holding on tightly by means of the mandibles. 
Many different species exist in both fresh and salt waters, and may frequently 
be seen stuck fast under the pectoral fins of a great many of our common 
fishes. Other species infest the whale, and even the lobster’s cuirass does not 
protect him from a louse, which seems to have been created for his worriment. 
