The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-09-14
Knfrerfins of the Sea.

AbuNANAuifS VI WV A|e
Away in the far north OF the Arctic
regions, floating in myriads upon the
surface of the northern seas, ana con-
shutting vast fields of life, through
which ships may sail for days and nights
together, are found multltudes OF small
animals, to which the appropriate name
of butterflies of the sea has been given.
/ To watch enc Of these beings, pursuing
its way through the water by means OF
two wing-like appendages sprinGlng from
the sides OF the neck, and to note the
delicate body, inclOsed in some cases IN a
delicate CLASSY shell, the comparison OF
resemblance to the aerial insect Is by 10
means far-fetched or strained. And IN
| their organization and habits, these little
/ organisms may be found to present some
| points of interest to the nOn-technical
| reader: W lille to the naturalist they have
ever afforded subjects of pleasant study
and instruction.
The position of the sea butterflies in
! the animal scale of sufficiently well-0e-
termined hind. They are molluscous
animals that is, are allied to our or
/ binary shell fish, such as oysters, mus
| sells. etc, rs we'll to the cutie fish and
allied beings. The nearest relations are
undoubtedly the whclks, cowries, and
Other she'll fish, belonging to the mollus
can class known to naturalists as the Gas
tenpoda; and while some naturalists re-
gard the sea- butterflieS.as forming a dis
linct groupe of themselves, others, and
with every show of reason, maintain that
they should be placed merely as a branch
of the gasteropod class. The scientific
appallation Of our sea butterflies Is the
Pteropoda-a name signitying ewing
footed. " and which is thus Of expressive
enough kind, whenwe consider the man
ner in which they fit over the watery
wastes.
Besides being able to swim quickly and
we'll 10y aid of their wings like fins the
sea butterflies can descend int the ocean
depths. or ascend from these depths 70
the surface at viii. They appear further
to come TO the surface chiefly at night or
in the twilight; and, rs a naturalist has
well remarked, each species or kid OF
these animals seems to have its own and
special degree of darkness in which it as
cends from the depths Thus, did we
know sufficient of the history of these
little animals, we might be able to con
struct n pteropod clock 10y watching the
respective hours of their appearance at
the surface of the sea; Just rs the bot
anist forms a floral clock" by watching
the time of the opening and closing OF
flowers.
Being she'll fish" the pteropod-
usually possess a shell this latter slruc
ture. it must, however, be noted, not be-
ing developed in all beings. 4 very
beautiful and at the same time most rep
sentive kind of sea butterfly is that known
by the name of the Hvalua. Of which
kind there are several distinct species
and in this form, IS well As in another
wcll-known species called CleodOra, q
she'll is developed The she'll Is thus
seen to consist of very delicate, CLASSY
structure. somewhat triangular in shape
and Of elongated form in Cleodora that
of Hvalpl being composed of two plate,
united together, and forming a small
shell of elongated or glohular shape
The i.tle head extremity of the animal
provided with wingsA nrotTlu3es. u
each case from u.S n Another very
T f1Ti1r1 a7 s,, rlrrruefy i. the Clio which
does not possess q shell, but appears as q
little oblong body, about am inch E
length and terminating in "a lower pointed
extremity.
No part of the structure Of the -es
butterfly presents more surprising detaIE
than that of the head and its append
ages the latter consisting OF tentacles
laws, and like apparatus, exercising The
se-.se of touch and other offices. mus
on each side of the mouth of CIlo, vi
discover three feshy appendages, which
/ at first sight might appear to consist O
simple tentaCles or organs OF touch
| When. however, we bring the micrcscop
/ to bear upon these bodies, we note tn
/ interesting fact that the surface OF each ]
/ literally studded over with numerou
minute specks, which, when more tUil
magnified, are seen to be of hollow cylin
! crical shape, and to contain each abou
twenty little suckers. These sucker
NAV be protruded at will from their II
spective cylinders, SO as to constitute a
efficient apparatus for Selling and dt
tanning particles Of food. Thus, if W
/ consider that each of the six tentacIC
| bears. on an average, about 5000 OF tn
cylindrical bodies, and that twent
| suckers. we reach the enormous numbe
of $50, 900 suckers, as constituting tn
Drehensile armament of a single Gle
itself very small size. An imaginatiO
NAV assist us in its scientific aspects be
ter than any other intellectual process
in endeavorine to form some idea of tn
extreme delicacy of the muscles an
structures whereby the prOtrusion an
retractions of the suckers are secured.
Two feshy hoods" serve to inclO;
the tenacles when the latter are not
use and are retracted and other fiji:
ments exist which may be used to sui
serve the sense OF touch in these + nm
Within the little mouth of the sea bu
ter1ies. as also well exemplified in Gil
peculiar laws and a curious " tongue
exist. for the mastication of food. Fac
Jaw is a coI-cal structE>e, which LITERAL
! bristles with sharp, spiny teeth; and II
tongue" is likewise studded over wit
recurved hooks, which also aid in raspir
down or triturating tire nutrient matter
And SIS completing the alimentary a
) paratus of the sea butterflies, we lind
! well-developed throat stomach, lars
liver salivary glands and other addends
while a heart is also present, along wit
a system of blood vessels for the co
: vevance of the vital fluid through t.
2 body. The breathing organs in some
, these beings are we'll developed, and a
pear in the form of delicate gills, or an
Joyous structures, which are sometime
rs in Hys.pa. inclOse within specl
chamber. but in others, such as Clio, a
apparently unprotected, and OF indistin
nature.
A very large "brain or at any "a
a mass of nervous matter coIrespondn
2 in function to the great nerve centre
higher animals-is developed IN the 81
butterflies, and can be discerned lyil
beneath the throat, and forming, in fac
! a kind of internal collar around the CT
let. And nerves accordingly radia
$ throughout the body from this centr
. mass, and supply the various parts OF Il
organism with feeling and vital pOwe
Especially. as wo might expect, do '
e find the delicate tentacles of the head
: receive a large nerve supply; and '
/ may also note the presence OF two eve
f situated on the back OF TIE neck. The
latter organs are not of high order
development, but doubtless subserve t
: function of guiding their Possessor intht
e marine flights.
1t is velv curious to observe that,
the. course of their development, t
members OF the higher class OF the g
teropoda already alluded TO, at o
t period evince strange likeness to t
. form of our sea butterflies. The You
whelks and their allies first apper on t
stage of life as little free swimmi
y bodies, which move through the watt
each bv means of pair of wing-iike lObt
which spring from the sides of the hea
, Observing such form, we can not b
l be struck with its close resemblance
= "a 800 - Il our sea huttar "A los