Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-06-04
Ocean Wonders.

How pleasant it would be for those who an
nualiy pass many pleasant hours upon the sea
shore, to possess sufficient knowledge Of in
sect and vegetable life, to enable them TO
study intellisently the habits and popularity
OF those curious little marine insects and vege-
| tables which are SO abundant upon the rocks
ana beaches. In recently published work
oy Professor L. IL Gosse, we find the follow
| ing interesting account of the manner in which
the poor little hermit crab is sponged out Of
| its house:
singular little creature, called the Her
ihls otao pag~rns } the hinder part of whose
oOdy Is unprotected, except by a soft skin, is
endowed with an instinct which prompts In 10
seek some univalvs shells, into which il thrusts
It's abdomen, benceforth using il as a house
NO" lhere 10 species of sponge found on our
| coast IN Sn6erea,) of e corky substance.
which grows on the surface of similar shells,
0verspreading and enveloping them; and it so
happens that In the great majority of in
stances the Sponge is found upon the individ-
ual shells inhabited by the Hermit Grad
ually and insensibly the sponge grows over
the shell, and at length creeps round the edge
OF the lip, and begins to line the inside the
constant motion of the crab, who is very &C.
tive, retards the growth for awhile, but event
ually the Sponge prevails, and the Hermit
hnding his premises becoming every day more
and more contracted, is At length compelled
TO seek another lodging"
Mr.: Gosse says it is a remarkable charac-
terIstlc of all the little water feas which we
see In every salt water pool, that they have
put single eye, which is generally Of a
bright crimson hue, sparkling like a little
ruoy, and is set In front Of the head. OF the
shark s nursery, Mr.. Gosse says:
The mode by which the race of these for
mldable creatures is continued, differing as il
does so greatly from that Of most other fishes.
is exceedingly curious. The shark, instead
OF depositing some millions of eggs in a sea-
son, like the cod or the herring, produces two
| eggs OF square or oblong form, the coat of
which is composed of tough horny sub
stance. each corner is prolonged into a ten
drill, Of which the two which are next the tail
OF the enclosed fish are stronger and more
prehenslle than the other pair The use of
these tendrils appears to be their entangle-
ment among the stalks of seaweeds, and the
consequent mooring of the egg in a situation
o. protection aud comparative security Near
the head there is slitin the egg skin, throsgh
which the water enters for respiration, and
another at the opposite extremity by which il
is discharged. That part Of the skin which is
near the head, is weaker and more easily
ruptured than any other part; a provision for
the easy exclusion of the animal, which takes
place before the entire absorption OF the "a
tetl"S or yolk Of the egg, the remainder be-
ing attached to the body of the young fish,
enclosed in capsule, which for awhile il
carries about. The position of the animal,
while within the egg, is with the head dou-
blsd back towards the tail, one very un-
favorable for the process Of breathing by
internal gills, and hence there is an interest
ing provision made to meet the emergency.
On each side flament of the substance Of the
g'ils projects from the gill-opening, containing
vessels in which the blood is exposed to the
action of the water. These processes are
gradually absorbed after the fish is excluded,
until which the internal gills are scarcely ca
pable of respiration.