Page:Sea and River-side Rambles in Victoria.djvu/84

65 Mollusca, or greasy substances which form their food. These birds, as far as our own observation goes, seldom visit the coast, although probably some of the islands serve as breeding places for them. Those who like ourselves have journeyed hither from other lands, will hail them with a kindly welcome whenever met with, since no matter how boisterous the winds, or how rough the sea, they, ever gay, cheered our long imprisonment on the vasty deep.

But whilst we write, the animals which we had laid aside in a small basin have assumed a very different aspect; the tide being low during our late ramble in the same locality, we had contrived, after exercising a vast deal of forbearance, and making all manner of useless blows with our hammer under water, to detach a very pretty dark-green Actinia, and with it another little gem,—its colour, a very pale grey, with lighter stripes; now its tentacles are expanded—very short and white,—remark too the beauty of this other species from the piles at the Bathing house, handsomely marked with malachite tints, and throwing out pure white tentacles, pink tinted at their base; all these can be easily obtained, and will add very materially to the attractiveness of an Aquarium.

When examining a fine specimen of the Jelly Fish (Rhizostoma) which the Superintendent of the Bathing house was keeping in a large tub of water, we noticed with surprise under its delicate blue umbrella, many parasitic lice upwards of an inch in length, with four antennae, the feet terminated by hooks, and the extremity of the abdomen widened out