| [CHAPTER I.] | PAGE |
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| ON THE PLEASURES DERIVED FROM THE STUDY OF MARINE ZOOLOGY. | |
| |
| Introduction—Two classes of readers—Marine zoology as an | |
| amusement—The botanist and his pleasures—Entomological | |
| pursuits—Hidden marvels of nature—The little | |
| Stickleback—Conclusion, | 17 |
| |
| [CHAPTER II.] | |
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| A GLANCE AT THE INVISIBLE WORLD. | |
| |
| Microscopic studies—When to use the microscope—Modern | |
| martyrs of science—Infusoria—Use of Infusoria—Distinction | |
| between plants and animals—Vorticella—Rotatoria—Wheel | |
| animalcules—Mooring Thread of Vorticellæ—A | |
| compound species of Vorticella described—Zoothamnium | |
| spirale of Mr. Gosse—Nature's scavengers, | 27 |
| |
| [CHAPTER III.] | |
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| SEA ANEMONES. | |
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| Animal-flowers—A. mesembryanthemum—'Granny,' Sir J. Dalyell's | |
| celebrated anemone—Original anecdote—A. troglodytes—How | |
| to capture actiniæ—A roving 'mess.'—An intelligent | |
| anemone—Diet of the actiniæ—Voracity of these | |
| zoophytes—Defence of certain species—Actiniæ eating | |
| crabs—Their reproductive powers—Size of the 'crass.'—The | |
| Plumose anemone—Its powers of contraction, | 45 |
| |
| [CHAPTER IV.] | |
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| EDIBLE CRAB—SHORE CRAB—SPIDER CRAB, ETC. | |
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| The Partane—Its character defended—Crustaceous demons—The | |
| wolf and the lamb—Interesting anecdote—Reason and | |
| instinct—Anecdote of the Shore crab—'The creature's run | |
| awa''—A crustaceous performer—The Fiddler crab—A little | |
| prodigal—Singular conduct of the Shore crab—The minute | |
| Porcelain crab—Maia squinado—Hyas araneus—Maia and | |
| C. mænas—Anecdote—The common Pea crab—Pinna and | |
| Pinnotheres—The Cray fish—Masticatory organs of | |
| crabs—Fishing for crabs—Crab fishers, | 63 |
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| [CHAPTER V.] | |
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| HERMIT CRABS. | |
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| Enthusiastic students of nature—Aristocratic Hermit | |
| crabs—Swammerdam—Hermit crab and its | |
| habits—Anecdote—The Hermit in a fright—Soldier crab and | |
| Limpet—A crustaceous Diogenes—Prometheus in the tank—The | |
| martyr Hermit crab—The author's pet Blenny—Anecdote, | 89 |
| | |
| [CHAPTER VI.] | |
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| EXUVIATION OF CRUSTACEA (THE PHENOMENA OF CRABS, ETC., | |
| CASTING THEIR SHELLS). | |
| |
| The Tower of London—A crustaceous armory—The author's | |
| experience on the subject—Reamur and Goldsmith—Rejected | |
| shells of crabs—Anecdote—Hint to the young | |
| aquarian—Exuviation described from personal observation | |
| in several instances—Renewal of injured limbs—Frequency | |
| of exuviation—Effect of diet on crustacea—Exuviation | |
| arrested—Exuviation of the Hermit crab—How the process | |
| is effected, | 109 |
| |
| [CHAPTER VII.] | |
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| PRAWNS AND SHRIMPS. | |
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| Habits of the Prawn—The Common Shrimp—How to catch | |
| shrimps—Conclusion, | 135 |
| |
| [CHAPTER VIII.] | |
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| ACORN-BARNACLES—SHIP-BARNACLES. | |
| |
| The Common Barnacle described—Exuviation of the | |
| Balani—Anecdote—The Ship Barnacle—Barnacle | |
| Geese, | 143 |
| |
| [CHAPTER IX.] | |
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| PHYLLODOCE LAMINOSA (THE LAMINATED NEREIS). | |
| |
| A rainy day at the sea-shore—Laminated Nereis—Its | |
| tenacity of life—Its unsuitableness for the aquarium—How | |
| the young annelids are produced—Evidence of a French | |
| naturalist, | 151 |
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| [CHAPTER X.] | |
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| THE FAN-AMPHITRITE. | |
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| Its renewal of mutilated organs—How to accommodate this | |
| annelid in the tank—The 'case' of the | |
| Fan-Amphitrite, | 159 |
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| [CHAPTER XI.] | |
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| THE COMMON MUSSEL. | |
| |
| Dr. Johnson and Bozzy—Habits of the Mussel—Marine | |
| 'at homes'—The Purpura and its habits—Enemies of the | |
| Mussel—Anecdote—Construction of the beard (or | |
| Byssus)—Author's experience—Anecdote of the | |
| mussel—Muscular action of its foot—Threads of the | |
| beard—The bridge at Bideford—Anecdote—The | |
| Mussel tenacious of life—The beard not poisonous—M. | |
| Quatrefage—Mussel beds of Esnandes—Branchiæ of the | |
| Mussel—Food of this bivalve, | 163 |
| |
| [CHAPTER XII.] | |
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| TEREBELLA FIGULAS (THE POTTER). | |
| |
| Anecdote of the Potter—Its cephalic tentacula—Construction | |
| of its tubular dwelling—Terebella littoralis—Curious | |
| anecdote—Branchial organs of this annelid, | 189 |
| |
| [CHAPTER XIII.] | |
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| ACALEPHÆ (MEDUSÆ, OR JELLY-FISH). | |
| |
| Introduction—Jelly-fish—Whales' | |
| food—Lieutenant Maury—Appearance of the Greenland | |
| Seas—Sir Walter Scott—The girdle of Venus—The | |
| Beröe—Pulmonigrade acalephæ—Portuguese | |
| man-of-war—Hydra-tuba—Alternation of | |
| generations—Dr. Reid—Modera-formosa—Cyanea | |
| capillata—Conclusion, | 201 |
| |
| [CHAPTER XIV.] | |
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| DORIS EOLIS, ETC. | |
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| Anecdote—Young Dorides—Doris spawn—Nudibranchiate | |
| gasteropoda—Dr. Darwin—Mr. Gosse—A black | |
| Doris—Bêches de mer—A Chinese dinner—Bird's | |
| nest soup, and Sea-slug stew, | 221 |
| |
| [CHAPTER XV.] | |
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| THE CRAB AND THE DAINTY BEGGAR. | |
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| Anecdote—The Pholas and Shore-crab—The | |
| hyaline stylet—The dainty beggar—The | |
| gizzard of the Pholas—Of what use is the stylet? | 233 |
| |
| [CHAPTER XVI.] | |
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| THE PHOLAS, ETC. (ROCK-BORERS). | |
| |
| Pholades at home—Habits of the Pholas—P. | |
| crispata—The pedal organ—Finny gourmands—How is | |
| the boring operation performed?—Various theories on | |
| the subject—Mr Clark, Professor Owen—The Pholas at | |
| work—The boring process described from personal | |
| observation—Author's remarks on the subject—Pholas | |
| in the tank—Conclusion, | 241 |
| |
| [CHAPTER XVII.] | |
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| THE SEA-MOUSE. | |
| |
| The Sea-mouse—Bristles of the aphrodite—Its | |
| beautiful plumage (?)—Its weapons | |
| of defence—The spines described—Shape of the | |
| aphrodite, &c., | 263 |
| |
| [CHAPTER XVIII.] | |
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| STAR-FISHES, ETC. | |
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| The Coral polypes—The Lily-stars—St. Cuthbert's | |
| beads—Pentacrinus europæus—Rosy feather star | |
| Ophiuridæ—Brittle-stars—Ophiocomo-rosula— | |
| British asteridæ—Uraster rubens—Habits of this | |
| species—Submarine Dandos—Sir John Dalyell—Professor | |
| Jones—Star-fish feeding on the oyster—Bird's foot | |
| Sea-star—Luidia fragillissima—Cushion-stars— | |
| Professor Forbes, | 269 |
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| [CHAPTER XIX.] | |
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| SEA-URCHINS. | |
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| Sea Urchins in the tank—Growth of the Echinus—Its | |
| hedgehog-like spines—Suckers and pores—Ambulacral | |
| tubes—Professor Agassiz—Movements of the | |
| Echinus—Pedicellariæ—Masticatory | |
| apparatus—Common Egg Urchin—Echinus sphæra—How | |
| to remove the spines—'Do you boil your sea eggs?'—The | |
| Green-pea Urchin—The Silky-spined Urchin—The | |
| Rosy-heart Urchin, | 287 |
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| [CHAPTER XX.] | |
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| THE SEA-CUCUMBER. | |
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| Its unattractive appearance out of water—Trepang—Several | |
| varieties eaten by the Chinese—Common Sea Cucumber—Habits | |
| of the Holothuriæ—Their self-mutilation and renewal of | 301 |
| lost parts, | |
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| [CHAPTER XXI.] | |
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| THE APLYSIA, OR SEA-HARE. | |
| |
| Anecdote—The Sea Hare plentiful at North Berwick—Its | |
| powers of ejecting a purple fluid at certain times—Sea | |
| Hares abhorred by the ancients—Professor Forbes—Spawn | |
| of the Aplysia, | 307 |
| |
| [CHAPTER XXII.] | |
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| SERPULÆ AND SABELLÆ. | |
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| Tubes of the Serpulæ—Dr. Darwin—The harbour | |
| of Pernambuco—Its wonderful structure—Reproduction of | |
| the Serpulæ—Sabellæ—Their sandy tubes, &c., | 313 |
| |
| [CHAPTER XXIII.] | |
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| THE SOLEN, OR RAZOR FISH. | |
| |
| How it burrows in the sand—How specimens are | |
| caught—Cum grano salis—Bamboozling the Spout | |
| Fish—Amateur naturalists, and fishermen at the | |
| sea-shore, | 321 |
| |
| [CHAPTER XXIV.] | |
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| A GOSSIP ON FISHES—INCLUDING THE ROCKLING, SMOOTH BLENNY, | |
| GUNNEL FISH, GOBY, ETC. | |
| |
| Punch's address to the ocean—Old blue-jackets and the | |
| 'galyant' Nelson—The ocean and its inhabitants—Life | |
| beneath the wave—Fishes the happiest of created things—A | |
| fishy discourse by St. Antony of Padua—Traveller's ne'er | |
| do lie?—The veracious Abon-el-Cassim—Do fishes possess | |
| the sense of hearing—Author's experience—An intelligent | |
| Pike fish—Dr. Warwick—The Blenny in its native | |
| haunts—A 'Little Dombey' fish—Anecdote—The | |
| Viviparous Blenny—The Gunnel fish—Five-bearded | |
| Rockling—Two-spotted Goby—Diminutive Sucker-fish— | |
| Montagu's Sucker—The Stickleback—Its nest-building | |
| habits described—Conclusion, | 327 |
| |
| [CHAPTER XXV.] | |
| |
| ON THE FORMATION OF MARINE AQUARIÆ, ETC. | |
| |
| Mimic oceans—Practical hints on marine | |
| aquariæ—Various tanks described—The 'gravity | |
| bubble'—Evaporated sea-water—Aquariæ in | |
| France—Sea-water a contraband article across the | |
| Channel—An aquarium on a fine summer's day—The | |
| Lettuce Ulva—Author's tank—'Excavations on a | |
| rocky shore'—Tank 'interiors'—Various centre | |
| pieces—New siphon—Aquariæ difficult to keep in | |
| hot weather—How to remove the opacity of the | |
| tank—New scheme proposed—Conclusion, | 353 |