New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-11-14

creatures that No much resemble the praying mants;
and shrimps, pink, olive, and bright green made
their appearance. Hundreds of mushroom coras are
living about on the bottom. They have no apparent
hold on the rocks they lie on, there are
no tentacles visible, and are without separate
organs for the performance of the vital func-
tons. White trtons covered with brown spots
are abundant. Crabs Of various species are common
They are born robbers. The most minute shells are
found with little crabs in them, that cannot have
been long Matched, yet they cling as tenaciousy TO
their stolen dwellings as the older ones. There is {.
great variety Of eels in the harbor. Most of them
resemble snakes in their manner of elevatipg Inc
head and the fierce way they turn on man when dis
turbed. One of the most dreaded fish on the COAST Is
the mud laff 1t is abundant all round the island
and considered good food by the lower class. MI
| Pike gives life-ike portrait of the monster:
This most hdeous and dis gushing looking ish averages
from I6 10 IS inches in length The spongy, wrlhAeu,
nske skin is ordinarily bloehed with whltegfay
soyred With mud and weeds that is only alter great
deal Of trouble that 1t can oe cleaned 50 a. matter
which, attracting anything II comes ia dnrss re-
forms thick coat over the whole 2ouy, l With spine
senbes an irregular of tibereles, each WIN
rather than a fin. and the short vide puneuVui IL hod
give it dull appearance when M nnor Of the mud
! IL Ia difficult to distinguish u ~ ,"n ~ tho
distance and It's ye small All Unseen 6y It's victims
t lie got in the ooze, and the unecuth nead Is
drawn back so that the greSy h maj pass his way.
Tie prey is sucked IN and swallowed anu o
is sorry day when human hand or foot lnanN ~
foncbes H. have hitherto managed 10 escape 'o . ~
nv wadngs in search OF marine culoe m 81 ,hicL
always keep very sharp lookout, ana wear 'ho ''A
Grand River sE is said TO be e.gecany mles ca
with afs and during visit there the hsherlen Eau
toned about going INTO th9 WaSa, ~ I" some
sure pqged ho%ever %snep 20 with the
hone of capturing some The truth of their abundance
was soon verified, and an old expert lhat hau uhe
several specimens. We placed them alive III Vessel
one large prGte lad on dish and tcled him under
the pectOrals when the dOrsal, which usually hes IN
raised, and in few seconds, when tonched he uors
the fish, with spasmodc effort, elected tiCcnihn
Shiny substance through the hollow spnes anu lnls
concluded TO be the poison injected luo Wouus
them dlihcut Ia cure To prove thc dangerous ia
ture OF this poison puncured the ball OF the ICrepaW
Of kitten with one OF the 'front.' spnes aid 10 De nS
worst) The animal was Immediately Affected ana dieu
/ saw poor fellow near Tamarnd Bay who had
trOdden on a latf, which wounded the Dail OF VIC
when 1 looked at 1t: at once opened 1e W. Woul1 ~,
with scalpel, and applied {. strong soiuIo1 VI
poutice Of the leaves OF the EhfeGG pcttOcs and ap
piled it and IN about an hours time ne began 10 lee
keep up his courage he iainting from the
agony he endured and his state OF alarm lest lock
ward learned that he felt tie effects OF tue
wound for very long time. H., nave ave, ,i seen IN
several such since, and one especially teiIDie IN
the hospital the puncture was on he sOe Oh De
foot and no and had been given III some hodIs arc
The foot and leg swe He'd tremendously; aOd ler souo
days the wound sOughed, leaving large hoe' ~ va
over two months before the man Was abe 10 d uiS
! charged.
| The whole volume abounds with materials which
will furnish the systematic naturalist with valuable
| data for arrangement and description, while they
| afford at the same time, tempting supply oil IN
! structive and agreeable popular reading. III auu-
ton to the novel information concerning 'le A1''
and flora of Mauritius Mr.. Pike has gwen many
| interesting notices OF the commerce, industry, and
social condition OF the island.