. Sea-shore life; the invertebrates of the New York coast. Marine animals. STARFISHES, URCHINS AND SEA-CUCUMBERS (11 intestine extends tlie entire length of the body, and may be seen through the translucent skin, especially when it is distended by the sand which the creature constantly swallows in order to obtain the minute organisms upon which it feeds. The Sijnapta lives within a tube made of fine sand particles aglutinated with adhesive slime. This tube is made up of a series of rings. The Sipiapta selects little particles of sand with its ten- tacles, and then fastens them together so as t
. Sea-shore life; the invertebrates of the New York coast. Marine animals. STARFISHES, URCHINS AND SEA-CUCUMBERS (11 intestine extends tlie entire length of the body, and may be seen through the translucent skin, especially when it is distended by the sand which the creature constantly swallows in order to obtain the minute organisms upon which it feeds. The Sijnapta lives within a tube made of fine sand particles aglutinated with adhesive slime. This tube is made up of a series of rings. The Sipiapta selects little particles of sand with its ten- tacles, and then fastens them together so as to form a ring around the mouth. The ring is tlien forced down the sides of the body by muscular contraction, and thus a tube is finally made with- in Avhich the creature lives. Our Sijnapta has the curious habit of l)reak- ing itself into pieces by muscular constriction, and if placed in unfavorable conditions, it soon breaks up into numerous short lengths. A good figure of it is given in Agassiz's " Seaside Studies," under the name of Synapta tenuis. The Red Sea-Cucumber, (SynapUi roseola), closely resembles Synapta inhwrens but can be at once distinguished by its reddish color, and by the fact that it lives under stones or in gravelly beaches, never in sand or mud. The Crimson Sea-Cucumber, ( Cuvieria sqiia- iiiata J, is found along the New England coast north of Cape Cod. It is of a brilliant red color, and the sides and back are shingled with roTind-edged scales. The lower side of the body is free of scales, but is provided with three rows of tube-feet bearing suckers. There are ten tentacles which branch profusely and resemble beautiful red trees almost as long as the body. The creature becomes about eight inches long. The brilliant red larvfe, about as large as a pin's head, occur in myriads in the ocean during the spring and earlv summer Fig. 33; mSITTLE SEA CUCUMBER. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have be
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