File:A naturalist's rambles on the Devonshire coast (Page 417) (5980719525).jpg

THE SABELLA. 417
up to the curious Perforated Rock, I saw a tube pro-
jecting, just beneath the surface of the water, about
Ij inch long. I could just get my arm into the
crevice, and feel the tube with my fingers; it resembled
both in consistency and appearance half-boiled maca-
roni. I thought it was a sponge, and tried to pull it
off; unfortunately I could get only one hand in, and
so could not work with the hammer and chisel. But
by loosening some of the lamiuse of the shale with my
lingers, I managed to expose the tube for several
inches lower down, and at length detached it by pull-
ing. The lower part was membranous, of a clear
reddish-brown colour, and angular. Again looking
into the obscurity of the hole, for I could only look
and work by turns, I saw in the now turbid water
what seemed a noble white Actinia, with expanded
tentacles. I now felt again with my fingers, and
presently pulled away a couple of inches more of the
membranous part of the tube ; still it did not occur
to me to connect it with the actinia-looking creature,
which I could still dimly see in the muddy water.
By feeling carefully 1 got hold of the animal, and
having worked my fingers down as close to its point
of attachment as possible, I pulled it away, and put
my prize into the glass-jar of clear water. what a
magnificent creature ! I thought, as I gazed dehghted
upon it, that it excelled in beauty any of the marine
animals I had yet found. It proved to be a Sahella,
and, as T believe, the S. vesiculosa of Montagu.
It was a large stout worm, beset along each side
with little bundles of satiny bristles, closely packed in