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及16何蛍

glaucus-or the wonders of the shore(鯉斥互帽)-及16何蛍


梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ○ 賜 ★ 辛酔堀貧和鍬匈梓囚徒貧議 Enter 囚辛指欺云慕朕村匈梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ● 辛指欺云匈競何
!!!!隆堋響頼紗秘慕禰厮宴和肝写偬堋響




to   human   nature   itself察  for   where   is   the   heroism   like   that of   virtuous察

intelligent察    independent      poverty拭      And     such    heroism     is    thine ─    

CHAMBERS' EDIN。 JOURN。察Nov。 23察1844。 

     Mr。 Peach has been since rewarded in part for his long labours in                    the 

cause   of   science察 by  having been   removed   to   a   more   lucrative         post   on 

the north coast of Scotland察the earnest察it is to be              hoped察of still further 

promotion。 

     I   mentioned   just   now   Synapta察  or察  as   Montagu   called   it察  Chirodota此

a much better name察and察I think察very uselessly changed察for                     Chirodota 

expresses the peculiarity of the beast察which consists in                ´ start not察reader 

´   twelve   hands察  like   human   hands察  while   Synapta       expresses   merely   its 

power   of   clinging   to   the   fingers察  which   it   possesses   in   common   with 

many other animals。          It is察at least察a     beast worth talking about察as for 



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finding one察I fear that we have          no chance of such good fortune。 

     Colonel   Montagu   found   them   here   some   forty   years   ago察  and   after 

him察Mr。 Alder察in 1845。          I found hundreds of them察but only once察               in 

1854     after   a  heavy    south´eastern      gale察 washed     up   among      the  great 

Lutrariae in a cove near Goodrington察but all my dredging outside                    failed 

to procure a specimen ´ Mr。 Alder察however察and Mr。 Cocks                       who find 

everything察and will at last certainly catch Midgard察the              great sea´serpent察

as Thor did察by baiting for him with a bull's            head察have dredged them in 

great numbers察the former察at Helford             in Cornwall察the latter on the west 

coast    of   Scotland。     It   seems察    however察     to  be   a  southern     monster察

probably  a   remnant察  like   the    great   cockle察 of   the   Mediterranean   fauna察

for Mr。 MacAndrew finds             them plentifully in Vigo Bay察and J。 M l ler 

in the Adriatic察off      Trieste。 

     But    what    is  it  like拭 Conceive      a  very    fat  short  earth´worm察     not 

ringed察   though察   like   the  earth´worm察     but  smooth     and   glossy察  dappled 

with darker spots察especially on one side察which may be the upper                      one。 

Put round its mouth twelve little arms察on each a hand with                   four ragged 

fingers察and on the back of the hand a stump of a                 thumb察and you have 

Synapta      Digitata   Plates   IV。   and   V。察 from    my    drawings      of  the   live 

animal。      These hands it puts down to its           mouth察generally in alternate 

pairs察  but   how    it  obtains  its  food   by   them   is    yet  a  mystery察   for  its 

intestines are filled察like an       earth´worm's察with the mud in which it lives察

and from which it        probably extracts as does the earth´worm all organic 

matters。 

     You will find it stick to your fingers by the whole skin察causing察                  if 

your hand be delicate察a tingling sensation察and if you examine                   the skin 

under     the  microscope察     you   will  find   the  cause。    The    whole     skin    is 

studded with minute glass anchors察some hanging freely from                    the surface察

but most imbedded in the skin。            Each of these anchors          is jointed at its 

root   into one  end of   a  curious   cribriform  plate察        in   plain   English察  one 

pierced like a sieve察which lies under the             skin察and reminds one of the 

similar plates in the skin of the        White Cucumaria察which I will show you 

presently察and both of these          we must regard as the first rudiments of an 

Echinoderm's   outside        skeleton察  such   as   in   the   Sea´urchins   covers   the 



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whole     body     of  the   animal。      See     on   Echinus     Millaris察  p。  89。   7 

Somewhat        similar     anchor´plates察     from    a   Red    Sea   species察   Synapta 

Vittata察may be seen         in any collection of microscopic objects。 

     The    animal察   when     caught察   has   a  strange   habit   of   self´destruction察

contracting its   skin   at   two   or three   different   points察  and   writhing    till   it 

snaps   itself   into   ;junks察─  as   the  sailors   would   say察  and then   dies。    My 

specimens察      on   breaking    up察  threw    out  from    the    wounded       part  long 

;ovarian filaments; whatsoever those may be察                 similar to those thrown 

out    by   many     of   the   Sagartian     anemones察      especially      S。  parasitica。 

Beyond this察I can tell you nothing             about Synapta察and only ask you to 

consider its hands察as an         instance of that fantastic play of Nature which 

repeats察   in   families     widely    different察  organs    of  similar    form察  though 

perhaps      of    by   no   means     similar   use察  nay察  sometimes      as   in  those 

beautiful     clear´wing   hawk´moths   which   you察  as   they   hover   round   the 

rhododendrons察mistake for bumble´bees repeats the outward form of                         a 

whole   animal察  for   no   conceivable   reason   save   her   ´   shall   we   not     say 

honestly His拭  own good pleasure。 

     But here we are at the old bank of boulders察the ruins of an                    antique 

pier   which   the   monks   of   Tor Abbey   built   for   their    convenience察  while 

Torquay was but a knot of fishing huts within a                  lonely limestone cove。 

To get to it察though察we have passed many a                  hidden treasure察for every 

ledge of these flat New´red´sandstone              rocks察if torn up with the crowbar察

discloses   in   its   cracks   and  crannies   nests   of   strange   forms   which   shun 

the    light  of  day察   beautiful     Actiniae    fill  the  tiny  caverns    with   living 

flowers察  great     Pholades   Plate   X。   figs。   3察  4   bore   by   hundreds   in   the 

softer     strata察  and    wherever     a   thin  layer   of   muddy     sand    intervenes 

between       two slabs察long Annelid worms of quaintest forms and colours 

have     their   horizontal   burrows察     among   those      of  that   curious   and   rare 

radiate animal察the Spoonworm察。8 an eyeless bag about an inch                        long察

half    bluish   grey察  half   pink察  with    a  strange    scalloped    and     wrinkled 

proboscis of saffron colour察which serves察in some                  mysterious way察soft 

as it is察to collect food察and clear its dark         passage through the rock。 

     See察at the extreme low´water mark察where the broad olive fronds of 

the Laminariae察like fan´palms察droop and wave gracefully in the                     retiring 



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ripples察a great boulder which will serve our purpose。                     Its upper side is a 

whole      forest   of   sea´weeds察     large   and   small察   and    that    forest察  if  you 

examined it closely察as full of inhabitants as                those of the Amazon or the 

Gambia。        To ;beat; that dense cover            would be an endless task此           but on 

the   under   side察  where   no   sea´   weeds   grow察  we   shall   find   full   in   view 

enough to occupy us till the            tide returns。     For the slab察see察is such a one 

as   sea´beasts   love      to   haunt。    Its   weed´covered   surface   shows   that   the 

surge has not        shifted it for years past。        It lies on other boulders clear of 

sand     and mud察so that there is no fear of dead sea´weed having lodged 

and     decayed     under     it察 destructive    to   animal     life。  We      can   see   dark 

crannies and caves beneath察yet too narrow to allow the surge to                       wash in察

and keep the surface clean。            It will be a fine menagerie           of Nereus察if we 

can but turn it。 

     Now   the   crowbar   is   well   under   it察  heave察  and   with   a   will察  and   so察

after     five   minutes'     tugging察     propping察     slipping察   and    splashing察     the 

boulder gradually tips over察and we rush greedily upon the spoil。 

     A   muddy   dripping   surface         it  is察  truly察 full  of   cracks  and    hollows察

uninviting enough at first sight此           let us look it round leisurely察          to see if 

there are not materials enough there for an hour's                 lecture。 

     The   first   object   which   strikes   the   eye   is   probably   a   group   of   milk´ 

white slugs察from two to six inches long察cuddling snugly together                        Plate 

IX。 fig。 1。      You try to pull them off察and find that they                give you some 

trouble察  such   a   firm   hold   have   the   delicate   white     sucking   arms察  which 

fringe   each   of   their   five   edges。     You   see   at     the   head    nothing   but    a 

yellow dimple察for eating and breathing are                   suspended till the return of 

tide察  but   once   settled   in   a   jar   of salt´water察  each   will   protrude   a   large 

chocolate´coloured head察           tipped with a ring of ten feathery gills察looking 

very   much   like   a     head   of   ;curled   kale察─  but   of   the   loveliest   white   and 


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