All along the edge of the bell part you can see some dark dots, which are the eyes. Some of the jelly-fish have these little eyes bare; that is, they have no lid or cover over them. These are called bare-eyed jelly-fish. Others have a little hood like a lid over each eye. Also along the bell part are little sacs which take the place of ears. The long arms which droop from the edge of the bell are the feelers. These are used to touch things with. They wave gently to and fro and help the fish to move through the water.
Up in the centre of the under side of the bell is the mouth. It has over it a little fine frill. Even a jelly-fish, you see, does not wish to keep its mouth wide open all the time!
Below the mouth, the jelly-fish has fishing-lines or nets, as the barnacle has. The soft, pretty ruffles move up and down in the water, and catch things to put into the mouth of the jelly-fish.
It would surprise you to know what large and hard things these soft jelly-fish can soften and use as food. Fish, crabs, shell-fish, are caught and eaten by jelly-fish.
The Jelly-fish.
There is something in the jelly-fish which can dissolve these hard things. He often casts out from his mouth-sac the harder and larger shells and bones. He does this as you would put from your mouth nutshells or plum-stones.
How do the jelly-fish move in the water? They have no swimming-feet as Mr. Crab has. They have no fins, as the fish has. Some of them move by spreading out the bell, or round part, of their bodies, and then drawing it up again. This motion, which is like the rise and fall of your chest when you breathe, drives them through the water.
Flowers of the Sea.