Page:The aquarium - an unveiling of the wonders of the deep sea.djvu/162

Rh suspect it will be found to prevail extensively among fishes. It is a subject worthy of investigation by the comparative anatomist. The effect to the beholder, if he is in a position to see both the eyes of the animal at a glance, is highly singular and interesting

A person who has never seen it before cannot but be struck with the appearance of a large leafy Coral (Eschara foliacea), which grows in the form of broad but thin plates, twisted and involved in irregular folds, and sending off other plates at right angles, so as to constitute a sort of honeycombed structure, rising to the height of five or six inches, and covering a space even much greater than its height. Its colour when recent is a fine light red or brownish orange, and its aspect is so noble that one is tempted to think it rather a production of the tropical seas than a native of our northern clime. It is always a welcome guest, not only for its intrinsic merits,—yet it is a charming object in the Aquarium,—but also because of the variety of animals which make their abode in its ample winding chambers. The Prickly Scallop (Pecten varius) is frequently found in it; it is usually crowded with the little Masked Broad-claw (Porcellana longicornis), which plays at bo-peep in the galleries; the deep-water variety of Actinia clavata, and A. bellis, occasionally occupy a chamber, and divers kinds of Nereidous worms crawl freely through it. A beautiful specimen is now in my Tank, which has grown like a noble crown around the summit of a