A naturalist's rambles on the Devonshire coast (Page 117) (5981271690)

Description:

ITS MODE OF FEEDING. 117
find the least heat or stinging follow the contact, even
with tender parts of the skin, as the backs of the
fingers.
Like the Actiniae the Caryophi/llice appear to have
a sense of the stimulus of light. They expand most
during the night, or in the darkness of a closet ; and
I have several times observed that one fully dilated
in a dark cupboard would suddenly, on the door
being opened, draw in some of the tentacles and
perceptibly contract itself, though it might expand
again a moment afterwards ; and this in a deep glass
vessel, covered with six or eight inches of water, so
that no vibration of the air could have been appreci-
able. I have not however been able to detect any
coloured tubercle at the angles of the mouth, nor any
other organs which might be supposed to be analo-
gous to eyes.
The feeding of the Madrepores afi'ords much amuse-
ment ; they are very greedy, and the presence of food
stimulates them to more active efforts, and the display
of greater intelligence, than we should give them
credit for.
I put a minute spider, as large as a pin's head,
into the water, pushing it down with a bit of grass to
a Coral, which was lying with partially exposed tenta-
cles. The instant the insect touched the tip of a
tentacle it adhered, and was drawn in with the sur-
rounding tentacles between the plates, near their
inward margin. Watching the animal now with a
lens, I saw the small mouth slowly open, and move
over to that side, the lips gaping un symmetrically ;
while at the same time by a movement as impercepti-