Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1877-09-08
Butterflies OF the Sea.

stltullDg vast HtluS OF me- IuIoiRu
which ships may sail for days and nights
together, are found multitudes of small
animals, to which the appropriate name
of butterflies Of the Sea has been given,
To watch one Of these beings, pursuing
its way through the water by means of
two wing-like appendage8 sprin1ing from
the sides of the neck, and to note the
delicate body, inclosed in some cases in
delicate CLASSY shell, the comparison OF
resemblance to the Hrial insect is by no
means tar-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; " hile to the nattifalist they have
ever afforded subjects of pleasant study
and instruction.
The position of the sea butterflies in
the animal scale of sufficiently well-oe-
termined kind. They are molluscous
animals that is, are allied to our or
dinary shell fish, such as oysters mus
sells, etc, as well to the cutie fish and
allied beings. The nearest relations are
undoubtedly the whelks, cowries, and
other shell fish, belonging to the mollus-
can class known to naturalists as the Gas
teropoda and while some naturalists re-
gard the sea butterflies as forming dis
tinct groupe of themselves, others, aud
with every show Of reason, maintain that
they should be placed merely as branch
of the gasteropod class. The scientific
appollation Of our sea butterflies is the
Pteropoda name signifying "wing
footed, ," and which is thus of expressive
enough kind, when we consider the man
ner in which they fit over the wateTy
wastes.
Besides being able TO swim quickly and
we'll by aid of their wings like fins, the
sea butterflies can descend ints the ocean
depths, or ascend from these depths to
the surface at will. They appear further
to come to the surface chiefly at night or
in the twilight; and, as naturalist has
well remarked, each species or kid OF
these animals seems to have its own and
special degree of darkness in which 1t as-
cends from the depths. Thus, did we
know sufficient of the history of these
little animals, we might be able to con
struct pteropod clock by watching the
respective hours of their appearance at
the surface of the sea; just as the bot
anist forms "Aoral clock by watching
the time of the opening and closing o
flowers.
Being shell fish," the pteropod,
usually possess a shell this latter sIruc
ture, it must, however, be noted, not be-
ing developed in all beings. a very
beautiful and at the same time most rep
sentive kind of sea butterfly is that knowI
by the name of the Hyal~a, of whici
kind there are several distinct species
and in this form, as we'll as in anothe
well-known species called Cleodora,
shell is developed. The shell Is thus
seen to consist of very delicate, CLASSY
structure, somewhat triangular in shape
and of elongated form in Cleodora thai
shell of elongated or globular shape
The little head extremity OF the animal
provided with wings protrudes i
each case from the front or open eX
tremity of the she'll Another yer,
familiar sea butterfly is the Clio, whlc
doe. not possess a she'll, but appears as
little obIong body, about an inch l
length and terminating in lower polht'
r extremity. ,.
. No part of the structure OF the Sc
r butterfly presents more surprising detM
! thor mat of the head and its appenl
! ages the latter consisting OF tentaclee
@ laws and like apparatus, exercising u
a se-se of touch and other offices lhu
y on each side of the mouth of Clio, "
h discover three neshy appendages, whlt
IS at first sight might appear to consist
simple tentacles or organs OF touc
When. however, we bring the mlcrusGo!
to bear upon these bodies, we note t
70 interesting fact that the surface ot each
I literally studded over with numero
3 minute specks which when more tal
h magniied. are seen to be of hollow CYL
,e crical shape, and to contain each aoo
or twenty little suckers. These suckt
~ NAV be protruded at will from their
i spective cylinders, so as to constitute
h efficient apparatus for seizing and
Is tanning particles of food. Thus, if
% consider that each of the six tentac
a bears. on an average, about 5000 OF
n. cylindrical bodies, and that tweI
,is suckers, we reach the enormous numl
,e. of 60,000 suckers, as constituting
II prehensilc armament of single Z
ny itself of verv small size. An imaginat
}a- NAV assist us in its scientific aspects
I'd ter than any other intellectual proc
NO in endeavoring to form some idea OF
on extreme delicacy of the muscles
yh. structures whereby the protrusion
ar retractions of the suckers are secured
hle Two feshy "hoods" serve to inc
pat the tenaces when the latter are not
to use and are retracted and other
,nr ments exist which may be used to s
lly serve the sense of touch in these IL
on Within the little mouth of the sea
nd. terAies, as also we'll exemplitied in I
yav peculiar Jaws and curious tong
inc exist. for the masticatiOn OF food. +
,ur- law is conical structure, which liter
,sed hristles with sharp, spiny teeth and
the " tongue is likewise studded over
oks recurved hooks, which also aid in ras
nds down or trituratny thenutrient mat
emf And AS completing the s'imentary
ore naratus of the sea butterflies we ii
and well.deveoped throat stomach, 4
eat liver salivary glands and other addel
milo while heart Is also present, along
true A system of b,ood vessels for the
'ted yeyance of the vital fluid through
body. The breathing organs in son
these beings are well developed, anc
near in the form of delicate gills, or
iocous structures, which are sonnet
the as in HyalPa. inclosed within sE
'ond chamber, but in others, such as Cllc
hIrts apparently unprotected, and of indis
nature.
"a "A A very large brain"-or at an!
so " " " 4 mass of nervous matter correspol
j.! ,ros "s in function to the great nerve cent
,.t ""' higher animals-is developed in tn
~ wv ~ butterflies, and can be discerned
:, WI IA ao beneath the throat, and forming, ir
H. i 'io Nv kind of internal collar around th'
,op ,onot oH let. And nerves accordingly r
10 ,ouen W throughout the body from this &C
! 40 ,r1 ie mass, aud supply the various parts
I,hnu Inu organism with feeling and vital
"r,em ,,,em Especially, as we might expect,
MAJ nlaL find the delicate tentacles of the h
,'' ;, IN. .s, receive a large nerve supply; a
,,;.o so' NAV also note the presence OF two
ellnGi Ii situated on the back Of TIE neck.