. Birds of other lands, reptiles, fishes, jointed animals and lower forms; . commercially valuable tropical ones maymeasure as much as from 2 to 3 feet. The mode offeeding of sea-cucumbers is somewhat interesting;the smaller species, with much-branching tentacles,generalK affix themselves by their tube-feet tosome object, and, extending their tentacles in alldirections, utilise them, like those of a sea-anemone, for seizing any minute and suitable preywhich may strike against them. The microscopicorganisms on which they chiefly feed abound inthe waters they inhabit, and one after the other,the
. Birds of other lands, reptiles, fishes, jointed animals and lower forms; . commercially valuable tropical ones maymeasure as much as from 2 to 3 feet. The mode offeeding of sea-cucumbers is somewhat interesting;the smaller species, with much-branching tentacles,generalK affix themselves by their tube-feet tosome object, and, extending their tentacles in alldirections, utilise them, like those of a sea-anemone, for seizing any minute and suitable preywhich may strike against them. The microscopicorganisms on which they chiefly feed abound inthe waters they inhabit, and one after the other,the branched tentacles having effected a capture,are gathered together and tucked bodily into thecreatures central mouth and apparently half-waydown its throat. The larger coral-frequentingspecies are pro\-ided mostly with mop-shapedtentacles. They crawl about leisurely in search oftheir food, mopping over the ground, and gatheringup in their tentacles the minute shells and otherorganisms on which they subsist, which are col-lectiveK thrust with an indrawn tentacle into the. Ph,t, t, IV. SiVillt-K,r.:, fMilf,rJ.,r,-S,i A BRANCHING-ARMED BRITTLE-STAR T/ie specimen is auached to a briUianl scarlet sponge
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecad, booksubjectfishes, booksubjectzoology
