Page:Sea and River-side Rambles in Victoria.djvu/75

56 discovered, what in our eagerness had escaped notice, that we were kneeling on the tail of a huge Sting-Ray, which had by this means testified his displeasure at our freedom with his extremities,—dangerous quarters with such formidable spines as he possesses there. We wished to make closer acquaintance with him, and remove him out of our path, but a renewal of this loud snort was all the welcome we obtained, and so leaving him to his fate we resumed our algologising.

Of the Seaweeds we collect here we shall speak in their proper place;—it is of the many beautiful Zoophytes growing on them with such plant-like form and stillness, that we must now direct the attention of our fellow ramblers. What are Zoophytes? Well, without entering into the nice distinctions between what is animal and vegetable, that having received the attention of abler hands, we may notice some of their various forms,—the Anemones are Zoophytes, and the most commonly known probably, but let us examine together the ribbony Kelp fronds on the beach,—we need not search long before many little silvery spots of the size of a threepenny piece are pretty sure to arrest our attention,—admire them you will we know, but look at one through a pocket lens, and thousands of pearly cells will be observed, each having a distinct aperture, uniform in appearance;—it will scarcely be credited that each and every one of these forms the habitation of an animal!! sensible to outward impressions, stretching forth its tentacles in search of prey, and performing the functions of digestion through all its various stages. This is what we see in a species of Membranipora, and not an uncommon one;