. Little folks in feathers and fur, and others in neither. a family, thoughentirely separate from eachother, are attached to the samestalk. This looks even less likean animal than the other. Itresembles some strange plant,but you see each individual hasthe bag-like body, and the twoopenings into it. Of the Compound Tuni-cates there are several veryinteresting varieties—one calledStarry, because of the starshape into which the familyforms itself. From six totwenty of these creatures willbe found united in a commoncenter, so as to form a star,each with his own organs, andliving on his own accoun
. Little folks in feathers and fur, and others in neither. a family, thoughentirely separate from eachother, are attached to the samestalk. This looks even less likean animal than the other. Itresembles some strange plant,but you see each individual hasthe bag-like body, and the twoopenings into it. Of the Compound Tuni-cates there are several veryinteresting varieties—one calledStarry, because of the starshape into which the familyforms itself. From six totwenty of these creatures willbe found united in a commoncenter, so as to form a star,each with his own organs, andliving on his own account. Ifyou touch one bag, one animalwill contract itself; but if youtouch the center, all will con-tract. The mouths are on theoutside, or circumference of thestar. This compound animal isfixed in one another branch of the family called Pyrosena, (whichmeans Fire Body ) because 01 the beautiful light they give out,floats about, and is one of the most beautiful objects to be seen inthe wonderful sea. The light is so strong that when floating in. IN FEATHERS AND FUR. 317 the water, fishes at the depth of eighteen feet could be readily seenby it, and half a dozen of the individuals which make up the float-ing colony, will light up a ships cabin enough to enable one toread. The light is of a greenish hue. The Pyroseua is shapedlike a long cylinder, and it moves through the water by the force ofthe water thrown out all the time, for though they are floatingabout, they eat all the time like the rest of the family. Another of the Tunicates is the Salpa. In this, the individualsare united in long chains, which glide through the water with apeculiar motion like a serpent. Sailors often call them sea move by the same means as the Pyrosena, the current ofwater which each one of the chain throws out. They work to-gether like a machine, each drawing in and throwing out at thesame moment with all the rest. When a chain of Salpas is broken, each one can live by itself,an
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookpublishe, booksubjectzoology
