StNicholas . ongs, is still older than the ganoid family, and manythings of great interest are told about these old monsters in book. The meaning of the words Pristis antiquontnt isthe saw-fish of the ancients. Of course most of our information regarding such creatures mustcome from books; but when we come to sand-dollars, and suchsmall specimens as can be obtained along any of our coasts, we aresure to get some information from some member who relies forknowledge mainly on his eyes; as the following letter shows: l82 THE LETTER-BOX. [December, Galveston, Texas, Sept. 9, S
StNicholas . ongs, is still older than the ganoid family, and manythings of great interest are told about these old monsters in book. The meaning of the words Pristis antiquontnt isthe saw-fish of the ancients. Of course most of our information regarding such creatures mustcome from books; but when we come to sand-dollars, and suchsmall specimens as can be obtained along any of our coasts, we aresure to get some information from some member who relies forknowledge mainly on his eyes; as the following letter shows: l82 THE LETTER-BOX. [December, Galveston, Texas, Sept. 9, Sir : I noticed your request to some dweller by the ocean,to write a description of the sand-dollar and its habits. I caughtone while I was in bathing in the Gulf of Mexico. It was the firstone that I had ever seen alive. It was covered with short spines, andwas of a handsome violet red. Here it is called the Texas finding it, I searched for it in severalbooks. After some time my search was re-. warded. Its zoologicalname is ClyPfoster Ro-sacciis (rosy shield-star) ; and it be-longs to the family of Ecki?u>der- tnaia or sea-urchins. It is supplied with six ambulacra, orfeet. I have often picked them up on the beach here. Theyrarely exceed two inches in width.—Yours truly, Philip C. Tucker, Jr. Not long ago I received from a lady of Galveston a specimen ofthis Texas star—which I imagine may, oddly enough, be theidentical one that the writer of the aboveletter found. This letter seems to indi-cate as much; Galveston, Sir: In St. Nicholas for Sep-tember mention is made of what you callsand-dollar. We call it Texas star. Youask who has seen one alive. I send youone taken from the Gulf of , lastmonth (August), by a boy, who, whilebathing, dived and brought it up. Thoughdry, you can yet see t5ie hairy coat it iscovered with. WTien first taken from thewater you could see this hairy coat move,which proved it was alive. I was alwaysunder the impre
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