Page:Sea and River-side Rambles in Victoria.djvu/132

113 its natural habits and instincts, and what food it does get, is doled out at prolonged and irregular intervals, by the hand of some child to whom it has been given as a pet. They are remarkably fond of being noticed, and when scratched on the head, utter a low sort of growl, expressive of their gratification.

Singularly lazy is this creature in all its movements, crawling from bough to bough, with its young one grotesquely holding on to its neck, and even when fired at, it scarcely deigns to notice, certainly does not attempt to evade the danger.

Down the river but a few hundred yards, and we reach a pretty well timbered hillock, which is a favourite resort for holiday folk, who pic-nic here on festive days. We notice shells of the Oyster in abundance, which has evidently existed here in former days; but no trace of any beds can now be discovered by the enterprising fishermen who reside here about, and on the stones we get fine specimens of the Acorn shell or Balanus; this belongs not to the Mollusca or true shell fish, but to a class called Cirrhipeda, from their cirrhi or arms, the true position of which in the Natural Kingdom has awakened much discussion. In this Balanus so called from the Greek balanos (an acorn,) you will observe that the shell is sessile, being firmly attached by its base, and consisting of six different pieces or valves, varying much in size, but forming a hollow cone: in the opening of this cone are four other valves which serve as an operculum or covering;—wait until the tide returns and you will see issuing from an aperture formed by the opening of two of these valves, the most beautiful plume of feathery