. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. THE ASTR^A. 573 It is mostly a deep-water species, not unfrequent on nortliern European coasts, and is seldom pi'ocured except by means of the dredge or grapnel. Sometimes, however, it is found near the coast, and at the equinoctial springtides may sometimes be procured from the rocks which are laid bare by the receding waters. Fortunately for the coUectoi's, it is very gregarious in its habits ; and when one specimen is found, others may generally be secured within a very short distance
. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. THE ASTR^A. 573 It is mostly a deep-water species, not unfrequent on nortliern European coasts, and is seldom pi'ocured except by means of the dredge or grapnel. Sometimes, however, it is found near the coast, and at the equinoctial springtides may sometimes be procured from the rocks which are laid bare by the receding waters. Fortunately for the coUectoi's, it is very gregarious in its habits ; and when one specimen is found, others may generally be secured within a very short distance. It is a pretty inhabitant of the aquarium, and, as a genei-al rule, may be induced to expand its long tendrils to their fullest extent, by placing a morsel of food upon the orifice. When properly managed it is tolerably hardy, but it does not brook inattention— shrinking up daily, and at last perishing hopelessly. When new to the mysteries of aquarium- management, I never could keep a Cup Coral more than a month. Ix the family Oculinidse, the corallum is branched and tree-like, and is here represented by the only known foiin, the Tuft Coral. It is very rare. A remarkably fine specimen is figured by Mr. Gosse, who remarks that it was taken oft' Skye in the year 1852, entangled in the deep-sea-line of a fisherman. Another specimen, weigh- ing six pounds, has been taken in a similar manner between the islands of Rum and Eig. As may be seen from the illus- ti"ation, the corallum resembles a massive, thickly-branched tree. The individual corals are about half an inch in height and the same in diameter. On the full-page illustration is seen a coral that has attained a singularly tree-like form, and, in consequence of this structure, has obtained the appropriate name of Dendro- phyllia, or Tree-Coral. The regular branched form of this coral can be seen by reference to the illustration, together with the manner in which the individuals are set on their common stem. The cells a
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbr, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology
