Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-10-15

of our coast is kept for a long time
without food, ring will be formed
about the tail that grows deeper and
deeper. until, finally, the piece drops
off. In il short time, another ring ap-
pears and another piece is sacrificed
a most remarkable operation, you will
say, out quite ingenious when we un-
derStand 1t.
The Synapta is merely retrenchlng,
and. as the food supply becomes small
er and smaller. portions of the body
are thrown off so that there will not be
so much to feed, until, at last, the sea
cucumber will sacrifice it's entire body
to save the mouth or head, and finally
this dies. certainly after a heroic
struggle.
Rut while we have been looking at
other sea-cucumbers, what has nap
pened to the one We placed in the glass
lar? Peng large animal, it has soon
exhausted the air in the water, and Is
now endeavoring to get out, twisting ITS
body deliberately about to show Its dis-
comfort for you must remember tiat
the cucumber and all other water
animals require air just as much as our
selves.
For five minutes or so the sea-cucum-
Der writhed about in it's lazy fashion,
when, all at once. out of one end l saw
peeping a curious, delicate head
A moment later. it was still further
out-a transparent shining fish, and
soon with convulsive wriggle, 1t freed
itself from its strange prison and swan
about a few seconds; then settled to the
bottom.
It's body was so delicate and trans
parent that print could almost be read
through it, specimen that have
before me now though shrunk and hard
ened for three years. is still almost like
glass.
But how did the fish get in the sea-
cucumber? You will ask. This was. at
first. a puzzle, and to ascertain whether
il was accidental or not. we collected ii
large number of the cucumbers. and in
nearly every case, as soon as the animal
had exhausted the air in our aquarium.
the sivery, eel-like Fierasfer-for this
is the fish's name-would come wrggling
out, swim about for a moment as II
dazzled and bewildered, and then sink to
the bottom and die.
1t was evident that the fish was not
eaten by the Holothurlan, and equally
plain that the fish was not adapted for
the outside world. Hence we assumed
that the Fierasfer was a boarder in the
cucumber, and such is really the case.
But, though l made many experiments,
the fish could never be induced to return
to its home, though freshly aerated wa
ter was constantly supplied.
The conclusion that seemed most ten
able was that the fish never left the
Holothurian: but this was highly i'm
probable, and so the puzzle remained
until it was solved by the curator of the
great aquarium at Naples, Italy.
He found that his sea-cucumbers were
also inhabited by a Fierasfer, and py
carefully watching them. he saw the
fishes come out and return.
In the large tank the fishes ventured
out, swan around, probably fed, and
finally returned: and here is the most re-
markable part of it. Instead of return
ing head first, as you would naturally
expect, the Fierasfer approached, its
boarding house and slipped, not its head.
but the tip of its tail into the orifice.
In a moment, the sea-cucumber relaxed
to draw in water, and the cunning fish
slipped in an inch, then rested; another
relaxation by the cucumber, and an
other inch gained. and so on. until, to
the amazement of the Italian naturalist,
the Fierasfer disappeared, tail first.
within the very accommodating animal.
You will naturally ask why the fish
took so much trouble to go in tail first.
when it could be done so much easier
the other way but. by examining the