The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1886-08-06

n ma.y wsadsrfsl Tslngs Packed n
One Little Box.
Most q the curious things you pick
up on the seashore are really wrecks
deserted houses, cast-of clothes, or
outgFOwn cradles and retreats Of some
Of the many strange and wonderful
creatures that live in the seA II We
could read the tales they mighs tell we
should have : more fascinating and
marvellous story book than was ever
printed Some Of them we can rad
thanks to close watching and long
study. and ! want 70 tell you few Of
the queer things We have found out
One Of the prettiest objects - -
found on the shore Is = lovely box -
white rs snow. and moro fragile than
the thinnest china II Is covered with
: pattern Of tiny knobs and holes. that
look like delicate carving. and il Is
round IN shape hattened on top ex-
actly like = common white turnip.
These boxes are found Of many sizes.
from little ones, the size of pea, up
to greatgrandmother Is big as the
top Of : tumble. and in some parts Of
the world ~ big As . dining plate.
In this elegant house lived once >
very strange fellow called sea urchin.
His mouth opened on the under side Of
his body, where the larger hole is in
the shell, and At that point he had i've
big teeth, quite able to cut and dispose
Of any thing he wished TO eat His
house. this pretty box. was covered
with long. sharp spines like thorns,
that made him An unpleasant fellow to
take up. a spine stood up on every
one Of the tiny knobs on the shell. and
could move about on it. exactly as you
can move your arm on the shoulder.
His feet were perhaps the oldest
part Of him, though every thing about
him wss strange To begin with. he
had dozens Of them; one coming out
Of each Of the little holes on the she'll
Then they could be stretched out as
long a. be wished. and the legs Oou
may call them) were. Of course, not
larger than threads The foot itself.
1t the end Of each thread-like leg. was
round hat like . boys leather
sucker" and they worked in the
same way; that is, when the urchin
wanted to walk he thrust ont his feet
on one side till they touched some
thing. where they stuck. held there. il
il said. by drawing out the air under
them; then he pulled himself along.
II you find one alive, - you easily
can IN the pools among the rocks on
our rocky coasts (as in Maine), and
put him in : soup plate Of sea water,
you will soon see how he walks. He
will push out dozens Of silvery threads,
fasten the little round feet 1T the ends
TO the side Of the plate, and travel
quite rapidly around 1t, to find the way
out Try to lift him then. and you will
find you can not do It except BY tear
ing away some Of his feet
One q the most interesting things il
the way he growA The baby Sea
urchin Is about - big - the dot over
one Of the IS on this page; one car
inst see il moving slowly about in the
wator; but with . microscope he proves
to BE- IN elegant little fellow, q the
oldest shape, perhaps more like Z
painters easel than any thing else. II
Is made Of clear. glassy-looking rods
with rose-colored tips on some Of the
upper ones, and covered With little
specks that reflect light and make il
very brilliant Il moves about by wav
ing in the water fringes q delicats
hairs the books call then-anc
| ID Is 50 very small that the waving 81
| hairs will move il about.
Now, what Is oldest about this queel
object Is really : sort Of living cradle
for after awhile the real baby forms on
| one dde, and - il grows and become
| able % take care Of itself. the beautiful
| CLASSY cradle wastes away. till. wheI
| The young urchin can use its feet and
/ drag about its cradle Cor nurse, g
has been called). it wholly disappears
and the infant has nothing 70 do bu
4 grow.
How do you suppose this delicat
shell house gets biggerf for the urchIl
never has but one. and when he Va
! the size Of . pin-head it was not 70
| big for him. and when he - large .
. teacup il still its him. Let me tel
you. When the owner lived in il Oh
box Wa made Of several hundre'
pieces. and covered by the thin skin Q
I the living urchin. One work Of thi
skin was % enlarge the house - fl
as he grew. and il was done BY con
slant adding Of building material 3
the edges Of each pieces thus each on
became bigger, and yet they Away
fitted together. So yoa may SAY ths
the box grew rs well - the urchfn tbs
lived init
Surely more wonders were neve
packed in one little box; and haven
told yen AL Of them. either. y woul
take The whole paper 10 give the con
piece history Of this strange lhsle cres
ure-
when the urchiD Il dead The spn<
ian Oh. the body disappears. TIE -
1hashes il. and ven may find his en-
" houses BY hundreds cast up anon
Ne sea-drift on The shoae. CAsjslSG
Un6oo.
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