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VISIT TO NAHANT,

BEING A SEQUEL

WONDERS OF THE DEEP

BY A LADY.

NEW-YORK:

PUBLISHED BY THE GEN. PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL

SUNDAY SCHOOL

UNION.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1839,
by John W. Mitchell, (as Treasurer of the General Pro-
testant Episcopal Sunday School Union,) in the Office of" the
Clerk of the Southern District of New- York.

A VISIT TO NAHANT;

A SEQUEL TO THE WONDERS OF THE DEEP.
BY A LADY,

Job 38: 16. "Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?
or hast thou walked in the search of the depth V

CHAPTER I.

" The helm to his strong arm consigned,
Gave the reefed sail to meet the wind,

And on her altered way,
Fierce bounding, forward sprung the ship,
Like greyhound's starting from the slip,

To seize the flying prey.
Awaked before the rushing prow,
The mimic fires of ocean glow,

Those lightnings of the wave ;
Wild sparkles crest the broken tides,
And flashing round the vessel's sides,
With shining lustre lave.
&*» While far behind, their livid fight,

^V To the dark billows of the night,

^ A gloomy splendor gave ;

*•» 1*

6 A VISIT TO NAHANT

It seems as if old ocean shakes
From his dark brow the livid flakes,

In envious pageantry,
To match the meteor light that streaks

Grim Hecla's midnight sky."

On a bright afternoon in the summei of

1830, the steamboat C 1 left the harbor

of New- York for Providence, R. I., having
her deck crowded with passengers. Some
of these individuals were carried to the
North by business, some went in the pur-
suit of health, while others still, were only-
actuated by a restless desire of change.
Among the former class was a lady of the
name of Stanley, with her son and two
daughters, who were returning from New-
York, to their residence in Massachusetts,
from whence the mother had been sum-
moned by business of importance. This
had been satisfactorily arranged, and the
youthful members of the family were ani-
mated with innocent joy, as they contem-
plated the pleasant journey which was be-
fore them ; more particularly, as a sea- voy-
age was a novelty to them, for they had

A VISIT TO NAHANT 7

made an inland journey from Boston to
New- York.

At the hour of 4, p. m., the vessel was
released from her hold on the wharf, and
proceeded on her course, between the beau-
tiful banks of the East river, which are
studded with charming country seats, and
pleasant villages. After a short time had
elapsed, preparations were made for pass-
ing through Hurl-gate ; this strait, how-
ever, no longer inspires the terror that it
did in former days, and which is implied in
its vulgar name, for the modern navigator
has learned how to disarm it of its terrors,
by passing it when the tide covers the for-
midable rocks.

When Mrs. Stanley pointed out to her
children that part of the strait designated
so long as the pot, or caldron, her son re-
marked, " This is certainly, dear mother, no
longer an object of terror, but it interests
me much because it is the first whirlpool I
have ever seen ; and while I watch the
water which is eddying round so quickly, I
think I can form a better idea of the formi-

8 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

dable Maelstrom on the coast of Norway,
the accounts of which have so often filled
my mind with terror."

"You imagine that you understand it
better. Edward," replied his mother, "but
the awful reality of that scene, is said to be
inconceivable by those who have never
witnessed it. The Maelstrom is one, among
the many sublime spectacles which God
has permitted to exist in our world, to show
us what immense and resistless power He
can impart to mere material objects when
He wishes to do so. When we think of
our entire helplessness, and inability to re-
sist such a force as that imparted to the
waters of the Maelstrom, or the torrent of
Niagara, which force has been communi-
cated by the Creator, should it not make us
tremble, and fear exceedingly to provoke
the wrath of that great and glorious God,
when He shall come in all His majesty to
judge the world ?

" I remember reading an account of the
tragical fate of a vessel which was unwarily
drawn within the attractive power of the

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 9

current of which we have been speaking.
There was another ship near, which had
sailed in company — they were separated ; —
one of the crew of the vessel which was
spared, when giving the detail, remarks,
that their horror was extreme, when they
saw, from a distance, the companions of
their voyage drawn into the devouring
Maelstrom: they beheld them in anguish
as their sails went fluttering in the circling
eddies of the whirlpool, whose power is be-
yond the resistance of human art ; they saw
them drawn nearer, and nearer, till finally
they were entirely concealed in the distant
horizon, and the unhappy crew went down
amidst the dark vortex and awful moans of
the Maelstrom. This awful spot seems to
me a fit emblem of the dreadful abode,
where the impenitent will be consigned to
the 'blackness' of darkness forever.5 When
we consider this solemn subject, let us pray,
my beloved children, that we may all be
kept from the bitter pains of eternal death.
Look at those agitated waters, and remem-
ber that God's word declares the unrenew-

10 A VISIT TO NAHAIS'T

ed heart of man is like a troubled sea,
whose waves cast up mire and dirt con-
tinually. Good bishop Leighton compares
the heart of the Christian, and that of the
sinner, to two wells of water, the latter of
which has mud and dirt at the bottom.
When nothing disturbs them, they may
both appear calm and clear at the surface,
but only let some temptation occur to stir
up the water, and then the difference will
be apparent ; one, though agitated, will re-
tain its beauty, while the other will become
muddy and offensive."

The steamboat C 1 at the time we re-
fer to was sadly out of repair, and she la-
bored along very slowly, causing great dis-
satisfaction to many of the passengers. The
Stanley family, however, were not among
the number, and as the twilight deepened
into the darkness of evening, they were
still to be seen on the deck, surrounding
their mother, eagerly intent upon watch-
ing the beacon fires, as they were kindled
one after another, in the numerous light-
houses that enliven the shores of Connecticut

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 11

Emma, the eldest daughter of Mrs.
Stanley, expressed her regret that they
should have no moon on that evening to
add to the beauty of the scene. Her mo-
ther smiled, and replied, " I think it proba-
ble, Emma, that I shall find you, before
long, congratulating yourself on the ab-
sence of the moon. You are incredulous ;
perhaps Edward can explain the reason
why I anticipate pleasure from the dark-
ness of the evening ?"

He paused a few moments, and then de-
clared that he could not imagine to what
his mother referred.

" Do you not remember," said his mother,
« one day last winter, reading to me from
Stewart's Journal, an account of the lu-
minous appearance which the sea-water
presented, during his voyage in the Pacific,
and a conversation which took place be-
tween us on that occasion ? I told you then
that I would, at some leisure moment, read
to you a very satisfactory explanation of
this phenomenon of the sea, which I had

12 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

met with in the travels of the Abbe Spal-
lanzini."

" I now recollect the fact distinctly, mam-
ma," replied Edward, " and .we shall all of
us be very happy to hear any thing farther
from Spallanzini : at least, if it is as inter-
esting as his history of the coral insect, and
the coral fishery, which you related to us
during our visit to the sea-shore."*

" At present," said his mother, " you
must try to be contented with observing
this phenomenon for yourselves, and you
will then be better prepared to listen to the
description of our friend the traveller."

The passengers of the C 1 were at

this moment summoned to the supper ta-
ble, and when they returned to the deck,
the darkness had very much increased,
and the young Stanleys had an opportunity
for gratifying their curiosity.

Their mother led them to the stern of
the vessel, and as she did so, expressions of

* For this account of the labors of the coral worm, see
" Wonders of the Deep," published by the P. E. S. S.
Union, forming volume 50 of their library.

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 13

delight burst from their lips at the beauty
of the scene. The deep blue of the heavens
was studded with innumerable stars ; and
on turning their eyes from thence, to the
dark expanse of water, through which the
vessel was ploughing her way, they beheld
the path she had lately traversed, marked
by a track of fire : the foaming waves,
which rushed from under the massy, re-
volving wheels of the C 1, were crest-
ed with light, and as the spray scattered
its thousand tiny drops in every direction,
they glowed like golden spangles in the
sunbeams.

" Oh ! mother," " dear mother," exclaim-
ed Emma and Anna Stanley, as in their ex-
citement of feeling they spoke both at once.
" you were indeed right, this scene is more
beautiful and gratifying than one by moon-
light could have been, and we long to know
what produces this extraordinary light."

" I can only tell you now, that it is sup-
posed to be caused principally by those ma-
rine insects called medusas, to some species
of which the Calabrian seamen give the

14 A VISIT TO NAIIANT.

expressive name of Candellivri di Mari, or
Candles of the Sea."

" Can this be possible, mamma !" said
Emma; " my patience will be indeed put to
the test, till I can hear their history."

Much dissatisfaction was expressed by

many of the passengers of the C t, when

the noise of hammers resounded through
the vessel during the evening ; and still in-
creasing murmurs were heard, when it was
discovered that the Captain considered it
prudent to anchor during the night near
the mouth of the Thames. Edward and
his sisters, however, considered the suspen-
sion of their voyage, so far as they were
concerned, a subject for congratulation,
since it would enable them to enjoy the
scenery by daylight. The vessel rolled
much during the night, but this only dis-
turbed for a short time the slumbers of the
young travellers, and they returned before
sunrise to the deck, with renewed life and
spirits. The landscape before them was
glowing with beauty ; in front of the ves-
sel lay " the glad waters of the dark blue

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 15

sea ;" the huge waves were rolling their
heavy masses of water towards them, as if
to punish the presumption of those who
had ventured to navigate its boundless sur-
face ; in the far horizon appeared Block
Island, only distinguishable from the
neighboring piles of fleecy clouds, by its
remaining stationary ; to the right, was
discernible the dim outline of Montauk
Point, as it bounded, with its streak of blue,
the ocean to the southeast ; while to the
left extended the shores of Connecticut,
with the two lighthouses which mark the
sides of the Thames, as it empties its tribute
of waters into the Sound, and at a little
distance the picturesque group of islands,
of which Fisher's is the largest ; behind
them, as far as the eye could reach, was to
be seen the beautiful Sound, through which
they had passed on the day previous. While
Edward and his sisters were gazing in si-
lent admiration on the lovely prospect, the
sun peeped like a golden crescent from the
bosom of the mighty deep, expanding each
instant more and more, until his whole

16 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

disk appeared, throwing a rosy tint over the
white crests of the waves, and coloring
also the light and fleecy clouds. Before

many hours had elapsed, the C 1 was

doubling Point Judith, and reeling to and
fro in the formidable waves, which are
almost always to be met with at that part
of the coast. Soon after, she was navigating
the beautiful waters of Narraganset Bay,
and Providence river, and when night
closed in, it found Mrs. Stanley and her
children comfortably sheltered under the
roof of her brother, Mr. Benson, who was
an inhabitant of Boston, the justly cele-
brated capital of the North. \

CHAPTER 11.

" The floor is of sand, like the mountain drift,

And the pearl-shells spangle the flinty snow ;
Prom coral rocks, the sea-plants lift

Their boughs where the tides and billows flow ;

The water is calm and still below,
For the winds and waves are absent there ;

And the sands are bright as the stars that glow
In the motionless fields of upper air ;

A VISIT TO NAIIANT. 17

There with its waving blade of green,
The sea-flag streams through the silent water,

And the crimson leaf of the dulse is seen
To blush like a banner bathed in slaughter."

When Mrs. Stanley arrived at the house
of Mr. Benson, she found him preparing to
remove to his pleasant cottage at Nahant
during the hot months, and at his earnest
request she and her children accompanied
him there on a visit. After a short, but
agreeable voyage, the travellers approached
Nahant, and beheld that bold promontory
rising from the fair bosom of the ocean,
with its picturesque gray rocks, dotted with
beautiful white villas, or pretty cottages,
presenting a scene to delight the eyes of the
painter or the poet.

Soon after their arrival the young Stan-
leys seated themselves on the rocks near
their uncle's dwelling, and gazed with ex-
treme interest on the charming prospect ;
the sky was of a deep melting blue, and the
ocean reflected its beautiful coloring ; nu-
merous vessels were to be seen, some just
spreading their broad sails to court the
2*

18 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

breeze, which was to waft them from their
native land, while others appeared like dark
specks on the horizon. Multitudes of small
fishing boats were also observable, one
moment rising on the crest of the billow,
and then apparently buried beneath the
waves.

There is one beautiful peculiarity in the
coast of New England, which is in vain
sought for along the sandy beach of the
middle and southern states, and which arises
from the profusion of sea-weed that covers
its rock-bound shore. . This feature in the
landscape of Nahant can only be seen in
full perfection under a cloudless sky, and
when the ocean is in a state of placidity.
At such periods the remarkable transpa-
rency of the sea-water, enables the spectator
to contemplate objects to a great depth be-
low the surface, and as the rays of the sun
shine through the clear expanse of water,
they strike upon the rich covering of sea-
weed which clothes the rocks, and reveal
their beautifully varied tints, which are of-

A VISIT TO NAHANT 19

ten to be seen vying with the most delicate
productions of the flower garden.

Mr. Benson directed the attention of his
young relatives to this point, and bade them
mark the long, pliant branches of one« spe-
cies of the Fucus, or sea-weed, which were
raised from their rocky bed by each ad-
vancing wave, like the tresses of hair on
the head of a child as it sports in the
breeze.

On their return to the house he exhibited
to his guests a large collection of dried
specimens of Fuci, or sea-weed. Many of
them had been collected on the coast of
New England, while others had been
brought by him from distant regions. They
were of various shapes and hues, some be-
ing of the most delicate rose color, others
of a deep crimson or purple, while another
class formed a beautiful gradation, from a
delicate pea green to a dark green, or olive.
He told them that he had " seen some spe-
cies so minute as to require the aid of a
microscope, while others were to be met
with in the Southern Ocean growing to the

20 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

enormous length of several hundred feet.
Many of the inhabitants of the islands in
the Pacific, he informed them, made use of
sea-weed as an article of nourishment,
while in this country and in Europe it was
employed in vast quantities as the article
from which the useful soda is manufac-
tured."

Among other species of sea-weed, Mr.
Benson exhibited to Edward Stanley a spe-
cimen of the Fucus natans, which does not
attach itself to the rocks, but vegetates in
immense floating masses in the tropical
seas, sometimes in such quantities as seri-
ously to obstruct the course of vessels.

" I wish you, my dear children," observed
Mr. Benson, " to notice the substance of the
sea-weed, which is so unlike the vegetable
productions of the land. Examine these
plants which I have just plucked ; you ob-
serve they are so leathery and tough that
they will not break, in spite of my bending
them." He then selected a dried specimen
of the same species, which had lost all this
leathery character, and had become very

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 21

brittle, and of a black color. " I informed
you, Edward," he continued, " that the
South Sea islanders make use of the sea-
weed for food, and that we employ it in the
manufacture of soda, but I had forgotten to
tell you that it affords nourishment to in-
numerable quantities of marine worms,
shell-fish, and fishes of various kinds, even
to the enormous whale, the monarch of the
deep. Thus you see, my dear children,
another proof that the Creator of the uni-
verse has made nothing in vain ; but has
with infinite wisdom mutually suited the
various parts of creation to each other,
which is to my mind one of the most strik-
ing proofs of the existence of just such a
God as the Bible describes."

In the course of the evening, during
which the conversation turned on the va-
rious objects that had engaged their atten-
tion during the day, Edward mentioned the
great transparency of the water^ and asked
his uncle whether he had observed it else-
where.

In reply, Mr. Benson described the beau-

22 A VISIT TO NAHANT. .

tiful appearances which are presented to the
eyes of the sailor, as he navigates certain
parts of the ocean. He exhibited a fine
coralline specimen which he had brought
from the West Indies, and which had ar-
rested his attention as it lay many feet be-
low the surface of the water. " One of his
sailors," he said, " heard him admire it, and
diving for it, severed it from the rocks as a
compliment to him. Talking of this sub-
ject," he continued, " reminds me of some
interesting remarks which I lately met with
in Elliot's Letters from the North of Eu-
rope, and which Edward may read for our
mutual gratification." Mr. Benson took
down from his bookcase the volume re-
ferred to, and having found the passage,
placed the book in Edward's hands, who
read as follows. " There is perhaps no-
thing which strikes a northern traveller
more, than the singular transparency of the
waters : and the further he penetrates into
the arctic regions, the more forcibly is his
attention riveted to the fact. At a depth of
20 fathoms, or 120 feet, the whole surface *

A VISIT TO NAHANT 23

of the ground is exposed to view. Beds
composed entirely of shells, sand lightly
sprinkled with them, and submarine for-
ests, present through the clear medium,
new wonders to the unaccustomed eye. It
is stated by Sir Capel de Brooke, and fully
confirmed by my observations in Norway,
that sometimes in the fiords of Norway,
the sea is transparent to a depth of 400 or
500 feet ; and that when a boat passes over
subaqueous mountains, whose summits rise
above that line, but whose bases are fixed
in an unfathomable abyss, the illusion of
the eye is so perfect, that one who has
gradually, in tranquil progress over the sur-
face, ascended wonderingly the rugged
steep, shrinks back with horror as he cross-
es the highest point, under an impression
that he is falling headlong down the pre-
cipice. The transparency of tropical wa-
ter generally, as far as my experience goes,
is not comparable to that of the sea in these
northern latitudes : though an exception
may be made in favor of some parts of the
China seas, and a few isolated spots in the

24 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

Atlantic. Every one who has passed over the
bank, known to sailors as the Say a de Mai ha,
1 0 degrees north of the Mauritius, must re-
member with pleasure the world of shells
and corals which the translucid waters ex-
pose to view at a depth of 30 or 40 fathoms."

When Edward had closed the volume,
he told his uncle that this description of the
beauties of the ocean, had increased his de-
sire to traverse its vast surface, and behold
them for himself. "How much that is
wonderful and admirable, dear uncle." he
continued, " would be exhibited to us if we
could be permitted to see the deep recesses
of the sea !"

" Yes, my dear nephew, we should in
deed see much to call forth our praise,
though man in his pride of heart is prone
to say, why all this profusion of ornaments,
created only to be buried beneath the
waves 1 Many a mournful tale would also
be revealed, could we read the mysterious
secrets of the deep, for of how many pious,
brave, noble, and beautiful beings, has it
not been the grave !

A VISIT TO NAHANT. W

1 Unseen, unsepulchred, but not unwept,

By lover, friend, relation, far away,

Long waiting their return to home and country,

And going down into their fathers' graves

With their gray hairs, or youthful locks in sorrow,

To meet no more till seas give up their dead ;

Some too — ay, thousands — whom none living mourn'd,

None missed — waifs in the universe, the last

Lorn links of kindred chains forever sundered.'

" Never can this sad catalogue be accu-
rately made out to mortal eyes, till 'that
great day comes for which all other days
were made,' when l the sea shall yield up
the dead that are in it, and death and hell
also the dead which are in them,' and when
we shall all i be judged, every man accord-
ing to his works.' Many awful deeds of
wickedness will be discovered to have been
perpetrated on the fair bosom of the ocean,
which were indeed dexterously shrouded
from the eyes of man, but which that day
will prove to have been known and regis-
tered in heaven by Him who < searches us
out,' and knows us perfectly, even when on
the wings of the morning we flee to the
uttermost parts of the sea." Mr. Benson
3

26 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

here drew out his watch, remarking, that
the hour for evening prayer had now ar-
rived ; and when his household were col-
lected, they sang at his request the follow-
ing verses of a Psalm, taken from the 139th
of David.

" Thou, Lord, by strictest search hast known
My rising up and lying down ;
My secret thoughts are known to thee,
Known long before conceived by me.

Thine eye my bed and path surveys,
My public haunts and private ways :
Thou knowest what 'tis my lips would vent,
My yet unuttered words' intent.

From thy all-seeing spirit, Lord,
What hiding-place does earth afford 1
Oh ! where can I thy influence shun,
Or whither from thy presence run 1

If I the morning's wings could gain,
And fly beyond the western main ;
E'en there, in earth's remotest land,
I still should find thy guiding hand !w

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 27

CHAPTER III.

" The insect that with feeble wing
Just floats along the summer ray ;

The flowret that the breath of spring
Wakes into life for half a day ;

The smallest mote, the slenderest hair,

All feel our common Father's care."

On the following morning Mr. Benson
invited his guests to a walk on the long and
narrow beach or ridge of sand which sepa-
rates the promontory of Nahant from the
mainland; to which proposal the party
gladly acceded. When they reached it, the
young people advanced with rapid steps, for
they were intent on discovering shells and
other marine productions. Edward's eager
steps were soon arrested, apparently by
some very interesting object, which he was
closely examining when his mother and
uncle appeared. When he observed them,
he exclaimed, " Dear uncle, can you tell me
what this curious thing can be, which I
found lying on the beach ? To me it ap-
pears like a mass of jelly, shaped in the

28 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

form of a fungus, but Emma tells me that
she saw something of the same kind when
we were at the sea-shore, and when she
showed it to our kind friend old Robert,
she is certain he called it a sun-fish."

" Emma is correct in her opinion," re-
plied Mr. Benson, " this thing which to your
eyes, Edward, appears like a mass of jelly,
is, or was once a living creature, belonging
to the genus called, by Linnaeus, Medusa.
They have sometimes received the expres-
sive name of sea-jellies, by others they are
called sun-fish, or sea-nettles. This last
name, I presume, is derived from the fact
of their imparting a slight tingling and ir^
ritation to the flesh on handling them. I
have seen these animals thrown wantonly
into a pail of fresh cold water, which appa-
rently caused them great suffering, for on
such occasions the whole mass contracted,
and expanded again convulsively : instead
of the transparency exhibited while in
health, they became opaque and full of
white milky fibres."

u This Medusa, my dear children," said

A MEDUSA, GELATINE, OR JELLY-FISH.
(Z,

a. The body of the animal.

b. b. b. The arms or tentacula.

Taken from Kirby's B. T.

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 31

Mrs. Stanley, "reminds me of the promise
I made you during our voyage up the
Sound, and which I have not forgotten."

" We did not think, dear mother," replied
Anna, " that you had forgotten it, because
you never, I believe, make us a promise
without remembering to keep it ; but we
were saying this morning that we should
be very happy to hear about the bright lit-
tle worms of the sea, when you were at
leisure to tell us."

" I have only waited that I might get
time to clothe the traveller's ideas in some-
what more simple language than he made
use of; to night, however, I shall be ready
to gratify you."

When evening came the young Stanleys
seated themselves around their beloved
mother with more than common pleasure,
because their anxiety was very great to
hear what she had to tell them.

Mr. Benson also arranged himself in a
comfortable position in his large chair, and
smiled on his young relatives, as he told

A VISIT TO NAHANT.

them he too was going to be a boy again,
and ask permission to hear a story.

"You no doubt recollect/' said Mrs.
Stanley. * my telling you that the spark-
ling appearance of the sea-water, which
you admired so much during our voyage,
was supposed to be principally caused by
the presence of one particular family of
marine animals. These were called Me-
dusas by Linnaeus, and the name was
adopted by following writers, until the cele-
brated Cuvier, and the disciples of his
school, introduced them under other names,
in their different classifications of the ani-
mal kingdom. Baron Cuvier ranged them
as a group with some other genera, under
his class of Zoophyte. Lamarch separates
them from many of these, and enumerates
them among his Radiaries, as forming a
household by themselves, to which he gives
the expressive name of Gelatines, or Sea-
jellies. I will not perplex your minds, or
burden your memories at present with these
different systems, and will speak of them to
you by their old-fashioned name of Me-

A VISIT TO NAHANT

dusse, since it is by this term you will find
them recognized by Spall anzini, on whose
account I shall depend in giving their his-
tory. As the Medusae are in many re-
spects such singular creatures. I shall de-
scribe one of them to you more particularly.
I have not been able to find in any work
that I have been able to consult, so clear a
description of them as that furnished by
Spallanzini of the species in which he was
peculiarly interested. He says himself that
he had never been able to meet with any
'but imperfect accounts of the life ana
habits of these curious animals.' No au-
thor that he had consulted ever mentioned
their luminous appearance, excepting Lin-
naeus, and he -only in one passage, in which
he asserts that some learned man had seen
' in the sea between Spain and America.
Medusae dispersed over the water when
calm, and shining in the night like so many
candles.' Our traveller had found differ-
ent species of them in the sea of Genoa and
in other places, which showed no brilliancy
at night, but he was fully gratified when

34 A VISIT TO NAIIANT.

he beheld those of Messina. The body of
this species was shaped like the head of a
fungus or mushroom, being convex or
round above, and concave or hollow be-
neath ; they vary in size from two to four
inches across ; round the edges they be-
come thinner like the fungus, and have the
appearance of being cut into a fine fringe ;
and where that is joined to the stalk, the
Medusa had four long, round, hollow bo-
dies, called Tentacula, or feelers,* of a large
size, and eight smaller ones : these feelers
all ran lengthwise, and adhered to the low-
er part of the animal, which answered to
the under and hollow side of a fungus ; the
surface of the body was very smooth, and
was covered with a slimy matter ; at the
highest point of the upper side was a large
opening leading into a cavity, which look-
ed like a jelly-like purse ; at the bottom of

* " Tentacula, or feelers : organs supplying the place ot
hands and arms to the animal, intended both for feeling,
and for seizing and holding food and other substances,
and for conveying it to the mouth." See index to Ware's
edition of Smellie's Philosophy of Natural History.

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 35

this were four small holes, by which the
water passed out that entered in at the large
opening, which Spallanzini supposed was
the mouth of the animal. Tell me whe-
ther either of you can form a conjecture as
to the use of the purse f3

Emma and Anna were silent, and looked
to Edward as if they expected him to speak.
After a few moments of thought, he an-
swered, " This Medusa was so unlike com-
mon animals, dear mother, that I hardly
know what to say. If it was a living crea-
ture, however, it must have found nourish-
ment of some kind, though I am sure I can-
not imagine what sort of food would have
been suitable, or delicate enough for such a
jelly-like gentleman. If he ate, he must, I
suppose, have had a stomach, and I cannot
think where that could have been unless
this purse was it."

" You are right in your conjecture, Ed-
ward," replied his mother, " this cavity or
purse was in reality the stomach of the Me-
dusa. With respect to the kind of food on
which it depended for sustenance, Spallan-

36 A VISIT TO NAIIANT

zini was inclined to think that it. lived on
mall fish and marine worms, as he once
found a Medusa with a little fish tightly
grasped in its feelers, and the seamen ol
Messina informed him that such a sight
was by no means uncommon. He farther
informs us that the substance of these ani-
mals was so tender that it could be cut
with a thread, and was at the same time as
transparent as glass. Throughput the
greatest part of it, even when examined
with a microscope, no vessels or fibres
could be perceived like those of other crea-
tures, except at the top of the purse, or sto-
mach, where he found four small bunches
of long, thin bodies twisted together, re-
sembling in some respects the intestines of
other animals."

At this part of the narrative Mrs. Stanley
paused for a few moments, and Emma took
advantage of the opportunity to inquire
eagerly, how the Medusa moved through
the sea.

Her mother answered, " They have nei-
ther hands nor feet, Emma, and yet they

A. VISIT TO NAHANT. 37

contrive to travel from place to place. They
are proved to be animals principally by
their possessing powers of motion, and
these depend almost entirely on their ability
to enlarge and contract the outer part of the
body. The traveller tells us that from a
boat he watched the motions of a swim-
ming Medusa : he perceived that it turned
the round part of its body towards the sur-
face of the water in a slanting direction, and
that the fringed edges occupied the space
behind. Every few minutes it drew in the
latter, and then swelled them out again.
As the animal is always below the surface
of the water, it will of course have its open
mouth and stomach full of it. As it draws
in its body the water is pressed out of the
four holes that I have mentioned, and thus
forced against the edges : this gives it an
impulse, which is sufficient to make it pro-
ceed onward, while at the same time all its
twelve feelers are stretched beyond the
edges of the body like feet.-'

Mrs. Stanley here closed her papers, say-
ing at the same time, " I have taken so long,

38 A VISIT TO NAIIANT.

brother, to describe the appearance of the
Medusa, that I think I had better defer the
account of the light it exhibits until another
time." Mr. Benson assented, telling her
as he did so, that it was not because he felt
no inclination to hear what she had to say,
Dut because he was afraid they might be
detained until too late an hour.

" I have been more particular, brother,"
she said, " in this part of rny narrative, be-
cause I wish my children to mark the skill
which has been shown in the formation of
this curious creature, which is ranked
among the lowest orders of animals. From
what you told them of the sufferings in-
flicted on the Medusae by throwing them in
cold fresh water, they will see that they
were created expressly to inhabit salt wa-
ter. When we think of all these things,
can we hesitate, my dear children, to say
that the Being who formed them was full
of mercy and consideration for the comfort
of his creatures, even the most feeble? And
when we see Him exercising so much
thought, in always remembering to place

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 39'

the poor little Medusae exactly in the ele-
ment suited to them, let us be comforted
and strengthened in our belief, that if we
are among his people he will be sure to cast
our lot exactly in the circumstances which
are best suited for us. Our blessed Re-
deemer bids us look at the little sparrow,
and observe how well they are taken care
of, in order that we may learn to trust our
heavenly Father entirely. We 'are of more
value,' He assures, 'than many sparrows,'
and yet not even ' one of them fails to the
ground' without God's notice."

CHAPTER IY.

" With scarce inferior lustre gleamed the sea,
Whose waves were spangled with phosphoric fire,
As though the lightnings there had spent their shafts,
And left the fragments glittering on the field. "

" How very glad I am the sun has set,
mother," said Emma Stanley, as she watch-
ed it anxiously from her uncle's piazza on
the following evening.

" Why are you so much pleased, my

40 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

dear 1 have you spent the day in such a
manner, that you have no stings of con-
science in looking back upon it V

Emma blushed, for she remembered that
her mother had been obliged during that
day to reprove her seriously several times.
" I did uot indeed think so, dear mother, for
no day passes that I don't do something
naughty. It seems to me that if I try with
all my might, I am sure to do wrong a
great deal oftener than Anna or brother f
and while she spoke the tears of contrition
stood in her eyes.

Her mother stroked her forehead tender-
ly, and replied, " You know, my daughter,
I often tell you that if you only strive in
your own might you will be sure to fail.
You know well where you must go for
strength. I suppose your pleasure at the
sight of the setting sun, arose from the
thought that you would soon be gratified
by hearing more of the Medusae of Messina.
But in your desire after promised enjoy-
ments, you should not forget that we shall
have to give an account on the great day,

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 41 ,

of each waking hour as it passes along, and
therefore it is wrong to wish to hurry over
any of them."

While Mrs. Stanley and her daughter
were thus engaged in conversation of a re-
ligious kind. Mr. Benson tapped at the par-
lor window to summon them in. They
immediately rose and walked into the
house, where they found the table arranged
with lights for them.

" You see, sister," said Mr. Benson, " I
am almost as impatient as your children,
to hear the sequel of the history of the Me-
dusae."

" And I am quite ready to gratify your
wishes," she replied, and producing her
notes, she continued as follows. " I think
I cannot better introduce this part of my
subject than in the following words of the
traveller. ' If in the beginning of the even-
ing we enter the strait of Messina in a low
boat or bark, coasting near the land where
the water is perfectly calm, the Medusae,,
which are usually very numerous there,
begin to shine with a light, which acquires,
4*

42 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

intensity and extent as the darkness in-
creases ; every Medusa resembling a bright
torch, that may be seen for some paces
round ; on approaching, the brilliant phos-
phorus shows the form of the body. This
light, when the evening twilight is distinct,
is of a lively white, which strikes the eye
when the animal is 35 feet below the sur-
face.' "

Mrs. Stanley stopped for a few moments
and looked at Emma, as if she expected her
to speak ; at last she said, " If any thing
that I have said puzzles you, my dear, do
not be afraid to speak."

" I would like, dear mother." she replied,
i£ to know what you mean by the phospho-
rus of the Medusae ; last evening I heard
,one of the gentlemen who were here speak
of the phosphorus of the fire-fly."

" 1 expected an inquiry on this point, and
you know I am always ready to gratify
you when you ask me at proper times. 1
am pleased that you did not do so last even-
ing when strangers were present, because
on such occasions I always wish young

A VISIT TO N AH ANT. 43

persons to keep in the background, and not
trespass upon the patience of others. When
we speak of the phosphorescence of ani-
mals, we mean the property which those
bodies possess of giving light without burn-
ing. A great many minerals have this
power, some in an astonishing degree : thus
if a piece of lime is placed on charcoal be-
fore the compound blow-pipe of a chemist,
it will emit a light of so brilliant a kind that
it can scarcely be looked at. Putrid fishv
often exhibit a great degree of phosphores-
cence, and so does a certain kind of light
decayed wood, which you have often
amused yourselves in playing with, and
called lightning-wood. < Phosphorus is a
simple substance,' to use the words of a
popular writer,* £ that was formerly un-
known. It is found in all animal substan-
ces, and is now chiefly obtained from the
powder of burnt bones by chemists.' It is
so combustible that it will take fire from
the heat of the fingers, and if a small piece

* " Conversations on Chemistry.5'

44 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

of phosphorus is cut off and put in a glass
receiver of a chemist, it may be set on fire
by merely touching it with a piece of red
hot iron wire, when the most brilliant blaze
will be produced. We will now return to
Spallanzini and his observations on the
Medusas of Messina. He observed, there
would be in them sometimes a display of
light for half an hour or more, and then
again it would disappear, and not be visi-
ble until after a long interval. These in-
terruptions led him to think whether the
brilliancy might not depend in a consider-
able degree on their being kept in motion.
And he was strengthened in this belief, by
his recollection of the fire-fly, which never,
you know, shows any light when in a state
of perfect rest."

When Mrs. Stanley ceased speaking,
Anna remarked, " I have been trying, mam-
ma, to think how this gentleman was able
to examine the Medusae so well, since you
told us they would not live in fresh water,
and also, that the phosphorus could only
be seen in a dark place."

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 45

" Do you not remember, Anna," said her
brother, " how nicely Spallanzini managed
to watch the coral worms when at work.
I dare say he found out some way quite as
clever to examine these animals."

" He acknowledges," said Mrs. Stanley,
"that he found great difficulty in ascer-
taining the true history of the Medusae.
But he finally succeeded, and in the fol-
lowing manner : ' he applied himself/ he
says, ' to examine these animals, by placing
a number of them in vessels filled with sea-
water, in which situation they would re-
main alive for several days, provided the
water was changed frequently, and care
was taken at the same time to have the ves-
sels large.' Under such circumstances he
found that the light was very little inferior
to that which the animals possessed at sea :
so long as their tremulous motion con-
tinued the light appeared, though he uni-
formly found it more striking when they
were contracting, than when they were ex-
panding."

" That accounts, mamma," said Edward,

46 A VISIT TO NAIIANT.

"for the light changing so much in the
sea : you told us that it was by swelling
themselves out, and then drawing in a^ain,
that they were able to move through the
water, and if the light was always greater
when they were enlarging themselves, of
course, it would be altering constantly. 1
suppose, of course, the Medusae which were
so bright in the Sound moved very much
like those of Messina, though they were not
near as large."

" I suppose there was a good deal of simi-
larity in their movements, Edward, for we
generally find that animals which belong to
the same genus or family, are formed with
like habits of almost every kind."

"How very much, mamma, I should
love to have a few of the Messina Medusae
to watch," said Anna, "now that you have
told us about them."

" As that is a pleasure which is out of
your power to enjoy, my dear," replied her
mother, " you must not covet it too anxious-
ly. The Bible rule is the best rule for
duty and happiness on all occasions, and

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 47

its words are very positive upon the point
of covetousness. l Be content with such
things as ye have.' You cannot indeed
examine these animals for yourself, but you
can listen to the account of one who was
far better able to do so."

" I want to ask one question," observed
Edward, "and this is, whether there was
any brilliancy about the Medusae when
they were quite at rest?"

" The traveller tells us," said his mother,
" that at such times the light was so faint,
that a careless observer would have sup-
posed that it had ceased. I will here give
you in his own language, some interesting
facts with regard to his ni^ht vigils in the
cause of science. l In the chamber in which
I slept at Messina, I had kept for several
days a number of Medusas in buckets filled
with sea-water. The water in one of these
was through neglect unchanged, and con-
sequently the animals it contained suffered
greatly, and no longer exhibited any tremu-
lous motion when I returned to them soon
after sun-set. The light too no longer ap-

48 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

peared, except when by handling them they
were made to move for a short time. Du-
ring the successive hours of that night I re-
mained in the same chamber, sitting at a
table to note down the observations I had
made in the course of the day, and during
that time having twice cast my eyes at the
bucket, I found it entirely dark, though the
candle had been removed into another
room. But rising before day, I approached
the bucket, which stood in one corner of
the room, and perceived that the dying Me-
dusae still emitted a pale, but decided light.
It was easy to repeat the experiment on
others, and such repetitions were of im-
portance, for the results were uniformly the
same. I found likewise that these crea-
tures do not entirely cease to shine until
they are dead, and have begun to putrefy.
I therefore concluded that the phosphores-
cence of these animals cannot properly be
said to be interrupted ; but that while in
motion it is stronger and more lively,
though a feeble light still continues in the
intervals of rest, but at times so weak that

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 49

it cannot be discerned, unless the eye be
cleared of the impressions of light from
surrounding objects, as was mine, when
after having slept in a dark room, I pro-
ceeded to make observations of this kind.' "

At this point Mrs. Stanley remained si-
lent, to give her children an opportunity
for making inquiries with regard to any
thing which might have perplexed their
minds.

After a pause of a few moments Edward
inquired whether the traveller described
the appearance which the animals present-
ed when out of water, remarking, that his
curiosity was excited to know whether in
such a situation they would show any
light.

" I am happy," said his mother, " in be-
ing able to state some singular facts ob-
served by Spallanzini, with regard to the
very point to which you allude. A Medu-
sa having been left by him for twenty-two
hours on a sheet of white paper, had ceased
to live ; the greater part of it was dissolved
into a liquor, and every luminous trace had
5

50 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

vanished. A large glass of well-water was
standing on the table, and he, without hav-
ing any particular object in view, chanced
to throw the remnants of the Medusa from
the paper into the jar ; it immediately sank
to the bottom, and there remained motion-
less ; but to his astonishment instantly
shone with so bright a light that he was
able to read by it print of tolerably large
size. The water at the same time became
luminous, and when he placed his finger
in the glass it became plainly discernible.
Supposing that the light would be increased
if sea-water was used, he threw out the
well-water, and filled the jar with sea-wa-
ter ; but the result disappointed him, as
darkness followed. Subsequently he pour-
ed off the water from the ocean, and sub-
stituted that from the well, when a beauti-
ful light again appeared."

" This was very extraordinary, mamma,"
said Emma, "but, of course, Spallanzini
could explain it."

" With all his genius and ingenuity he
was baffled, and acknowledges himself

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 51

wholly unable to assign a reason for this
extraordinary fact, as well as another of the
same kind, which occurred during his visit.
When we behold a man of his talents and
attainments, thus obliged to confess his in-
ability to solve a simple phenomenon of
nature, it should teach us all humility. It
should make us feel the infinite distance
which subsists between men of the strong-
est minds, and who have made the greatest
acquisitions in human science, and the
great God of the universe. The word of
God assures us that our Lord < knew what
was in man ; and needeth not that any
should testify of him.' He knows too all
the secrets of nature ; He constructed the
whole universe, and is perfectly acquainted
with the vast system of machinery which
He has put in operation. Ever since the
creation men have been puzzling them-
selves to try and ascertain what the princi-
ple of life is, but in vain. Man finds it
every where, and often wantonly destroys
it, but when once extinguished, where is
the human being so mighty, so highly gift-

62 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

ed, as to be able to restore it even to the
most diminutive insect."

"Will you be so kind, dear mother/'
asked Anna, " as to tell us what other won-
derful things those were which the traveller
observed at Messina, besides those you
have already related to us."

"Certainly, my dear," said her mother,
" if you wish to hear the narration ; I
thought you might possibly be a little weary
of the subject."

When Mrs. Stanley received the assu-
rances of her brother and children, that
they felt no decrease of interest, she again
opened her manuscript, and read as fol-
lows. " Another Medusa which was dead,
and had not been luminous for some time,
was lying out of the water in the window
of my chamber. During the night a slight
rain fell, and every drop which touched
the Medusa was changed into a brilliant
spangle, till in a short time it was studded
all over with such shining points. I could
produce no such effect by sprinkling with
sea-water in imitation of rain."

A VISIT TO NAHANT. S3

Mrs. Stanley here remarked, " In Spal-
lanzini's eager desire to ascertain facts
which advance the cause of science, he
tried experiments on these poor Medusae,
which I certainly would not wish you to
suppose that I approve of, or would imitate.
So far as we can .gather information with
respect to God's creatures, by observing
them as closely as we can without inflict-
ing pain, I consider it not only innocent and
interesting, but profitable to us, as intelli-
gent beings, and as Christians to do so, since
it leads us to more adoring views of Him
1 who lives, and moves, and breathes in all.'
But I cannot reconcile it to my conscience
wantonly to deprive the unoffending crea-
tures whom God has made, of life, for my
own gratification, or unnecessarily to dis-
tress them. On this account, therefore, I
shall pass over the account of such experi-
ments made on the innocent Medusae."

" I do not wonder, mamma," said Emma,
" that the seamen of Messina should call
these bright little creatures l the Candles of
the Sea,' for they seem to deserve the name

5*

54 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

very well, since their light enabled the
traveller to read in a dark room."

" I was reading an account, sister," ob-
served Mr. Benson, " not long since of the
beautiful appearance which the waters of
"Venice present at night, arising, the writer
said, from the presence of the marine glow-
worm in great quantities. Does your tra-
veller make any allusion to this locality, for
I am inclined to think the marine glow-
worm of my author is the same with the
Candellieri di Mari of yours ?"

" Spallanzini mentions these ' glow
worms of the sea,' brother," replied Mrs.
Stanley. " but considers them as a different
animal from the l Candles of the Sea,' and
I will read you a few lines of his on the
subject, to convince you of the distinction
between them. He says, 'in my voyage
from Lipari to Messina I was three times
obliged to pass the night on the water. The
sea was shallow, and the bottom abounded
with sea-weed. In the darkness of the
night these plants shone with sudden bright
flashes, which became more numerous

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 55

when I moved them with the end of the
oar, and induced me to suppose they con-
tained marine glow-worms. Having drawn
up some tufts of them from the bottom, I
found these animals attached to them : and
this convinced me that they were the cause
of the luminous appearance there, as well
as in the Yenetian Lagune. That I might
examine them more accurately, I carried
them with me to Messina and Lipari in
vessels of sea-water. When I arrived there,
and was in a dark room, I detached the
glow-worms from the sea-weed, either by
taking them off gently with my fingers, as
their light showed me the precise spot
where they were, or by shaking the leaves
of the plant in the water, first placing a
cloth at the bottom of the vessel. They
were heavier than the sea-water, and fell to
the bottom, and the cloth then appeared
studded with brilliant points, which were
the animals I wished to detach, and which
I ascertained to be the shining Nereis.' "

Mrs. Stanley received the thanks of the
whole party for her narrative ; for her

56 A VISIT TO NAIIANT.

brother declared he had been equally in-
terested with the young Stanleys.

"I must make a request in my turn,"
said the lady, " which is, that Edward or
his sisters will endeavor to draw a moral
lesson from the subject of our conversation
this evening."

A long silence ensued, which Anna was
the first to break, by saying timidly, " Dear
mother, I cannot think so well as brother,
but may I tell you some lines that have
been in my mind all the while you have
been talking of these beautiful Medusae.
You will not think a child presumptuous,
mamma, in just altering a little, part of one
of your favorite hymns.

' The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled sea, a shining frame,
Their great Original proclaim.
In reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice,
Forever singing as they shine,
The hand that made us is divine.' "

As Mr. Benson and his sister watched the
glowing cheek of Anna, and listened to the

A VISIT TO NAIIANT. 57

tremulous tones in which she gave utter-
ance to her feelings in the language of the
hymn, they were assured there was no in-
tention on her part to make any exhibition
of sentiment, and therefore they rewarded
the little girl by an approving smile, which
effectually dispelled her agitation.

u I am waiting, Edward, very patiently
for your commentary," said Mr. Benson.

"I was thinking, uncle, that real Chris-
tians were like the Medusas, shedding bright
light around them wherever they moved,
and that sometimes their example was
brighter, and more useful to others after
death, than when alive and full of strength."

" Yes, my son," said Mrs. Stanley, " that
is indeed often the case ; and by the bless-
ing of God, (without which no human
efforts can be of any avail in the work ot
salvation,) the beautiful light of a holy ex-
ample made known to others after the
death of the individual, may be the means
of leading them to the reading of God's
word, by which the darkness of unbelief is
dispelled, and souls once dead in sin, are

A VISIT TO NAHANT.

enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and
1 through the grave and gate of death, are
made to pass to a joyful resurrection, for
his merits who died, and was buried, and
rose again for us.' °

CHAPTER V.

" They that go down to the sea in ships, that do busi-
ness in great waters ; these see the works of the Lord,
and his wonders in the deep. For He commandeth, and
raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves there-
of." Psalm 107.

In the early part of his life, Mr. Benson
had made many sea voyages, and having
an observing mind, his memory was stored
with incidents connected with such scenes,
and while he was relating them for the
amusement or instruction of his nephew
and nieces, the time appeared to them to
pass by most swiftly. One afternoon they
were seated together in their uncle's par-
lor, the windows of which commanded a
fine view of the ocean : the sky had been
dark and lowering all day, and the dense

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 59

masses of black clouds, which seemed piled
one over the other, portended a terrible
storm. Numerous fishing boats were to
be seen with their sails spread, hurrying
towards land as if the occupants dreaded
to remain on the ocean, during the strife of
the elements that was approaching : the
sea fowl, apprized of the impending danger,
by the instinct which their kind Creator
has imparted to them, were scudding quick-
ly along the brink of the waves to seek
shelter in some retired cove ; while the
wind moaned in long and melancholy notes,
and seemed to say it mourned at the de-
vastation it was bringing over nature, at
the commands of Him who bringeth " the
winds out of His treasures," and who mer-
cifully overrules all such events for the
final good of his creatures.

Mr. Benson for some time observed the
heavens with a most watchful eye, when,
at length, starting up, he exclaimed quick-
ly, at the same time pointing with his hand
towards a certain part of the horizon,
11 Look yonder, Edward ! were I at sea, I

60 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

should say that appearance was indicative
of a water-spout."

u A water-spout, dear uncle !" exclaimed
the young people all at once, " and have
you ever seen a water-spout ? Please to tell
us something about it."

" I have seen them more than once, and
shall not readily forget my feelings of awe
at such times, and the breathless suspense
with which I watched their progress. I
have been in many situations of peril both
at land and sea, but I can assure you, Ed-
ward, I never felt such sensations as when
1 have seen a water-spout approaching.
This is not a time for me to give you an ac-
count of this phenomenon, for the tempest
which is approaching would drown my
feeble voice, but when it abates I will try
to gratify you."

The young Stanleys had been early ac
customed by their excellent mother to ac-
commodate their wishes to those of others,
and when they found their uncle preferred
deferring to another time the relation of the
narrative which they were anxious to hear,

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 61

they did not look sullen or displeased, but
cheerfully acquiesced. Soon the storm
burst with violence upon them ; the thun-
der roared with deep and solemn sound,
and the forked lightning played up and
down the heavens with fearful brilliancy,
but the party at the cottage exhibited no
weak or childish fears. Their mother had
endeavored from their earliest years," to im-
press upon their hearts a lively faith in the
watchful care of God extended over them
at all times. In their morning devotions
they were accustomed to pray for God's
protection through the day, and to praise
Him for having kept them safely through
the defenceless hours of the night ; and be-
fore they retired to rest in the evening simi-
lar devotions occupied them. Thus, while
they were solemn and silent during the
raging of this storm, they were not fright-
ened, for they knew it was their

" God who rules on high,
And thunders when he please,

That rides upon the stormy sky,
And manages the seas."

6

62 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

Night closed in, and found them engaged
in watching the huge waves as they broke
upon the rocks, one moment covering them
with white foam, and the next, exhibiting
their dark and ragged surface. Gradually
the storm subsided, like a sullen child who
is overpowered by superior force, but not
subdued into good humor.

When the family assembled round the
table in the evening, the young Stanleys
waited in silence to know whether their
uncle would remember his promise about
the water-spout. They were anxious to
hear it, but they did not think it proper for
them to remind him of it.

At length Mr. Benson broke the silence
by observing, " Edward, what do you sup-
pose are the causes which produce water-
spouts ?"

Edward modestly replied, ll I have always
supposed, uncle, that they were brought on
by very much the same circumstances as
those which on land produce whirlwinds."

" 1 believe your idea is correct, Edward,"
replied Mr. Benson, " and it would be dim-

A VISIT TO NAHAIsT. 63

cult to decide which is the more appalling
sight of the two. These phenomena are
more common in the southern than in the
northern hemisphere, though from what
cause I am ignorant. On one occasion
while on a voyage in the Pacific, I had an
opportunity of seeing a water-spout in per-
fection. When our attention was first
turned to it, we observed an appearance at
a certain spot at some distance from us, as
if the ocean was boiling violently ; above
this rested a cloud of smoke, something
like the steam you have seen hanging over
a boiling pot; accompanying this was a
loud noise like the rushing of a torrent of
water ; this noise was associated with ano-
ther, which I can compare to nothing but
the hissing sound which you have noticed,
when the engineer of a steamboat first at-
tempts to check the steam, when his vessel
is about to land passengers : almost imme-
diately after the sound reached our ears,
we perceived a column of steam arising
with amazing velocity towards the heavens,
apparently not thicker than a man's arm,

64 A VISIT TO NAIIANT.

and through the steam we all thought we
could see water rising upwards in a spiral
manner ; this continued for the space of
from ten to twenty minutes ; then another,
rose ; finally, a third : they approached our
vessel, while our crew remained almost
breathless with dismay, for we should pro-
bably have been destroyed had we come in
contact : finally, they passed on, and the
hearts of all of us, even the most thought-
less, were lifted up in praise to Him who
had preserved us from so dreadful a fate."
" Dear uncle ! were you not very much
frightened by these awful water-spouts?"
inquired Anna. "Not exactly frightened,
Anna, but my mind was in a most solemn
state, as I gazed at this phenomenon of the
sea, and realized that I might possibly be
on the verge of eternity." " Do you re-
member, brother," inquired Mrs. Stanley,
tt the fine description of a similar scene to
that you have related, given in the Rev.
Mr. Ellis's Polynesian Researches ?"

" I do," said Mr. Benson, " and I can
assure you that I listened to it with feelings

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 65

of peculiar interest, and should have no
objection to hearing it again, if Edward
feels disposed to read it."

Edward gladly assented, and taking the
volume from his mother's hands, (who had
brought it into the parlor in anticipation of
the conversation of the evening,) he read
the following passages, which she had
marked out.

"Early in 1819 circumstances rendered
it desirable for us to visit Raiatea, (one of
the Society Islands.) About 9 o'clock in
the morning Mr. BarfT and myself, accom-
panied by five natives and an English sail-
or, embarked for Huahine. Though the
settlements were about thirty miles apart,
yet as the width of the channel was not
much more than twenty miles, the moun-
tains and coast of the opposite island were
distinctly visible. The wind being fair, we
expected to reach the Raiatean shore in three
or four hours, and to arrive at the residence
of our friends long before the close of the
day. We had not, however, been an hour
at sea when the heavens began to gather
6*

6C A VISIT TO NAHANT.

blackness, and lowering clouds intercepted
our view of the shore we had left, and of
that to which we were bound. The wind
became unsteady and boisterous, the sea
rose, not in long, heavy billows, but in
short, cross, and broken waves. We had
no compass on board. The dark and
heavy atmosphere obscuring the sun pre-
vented our discerning the land, and ren-
dered us unconscious of the direction in
which the storm was driving us. We took
down our large sails, leaving only a small
one in the forepart of the boat, merely to
keep it steady. The tempest increasing, the
natives were alarmed, and during the occa-
sional intervals in which the wind abated
its violence, the rain came down in tremen-
dous torrents. The rain calmed in a de-
gree the broken and agitated surface of the
ocean, that had raged with threatening vio-
lence. Our boat being small, not above
eighteen feet long, and the edge, when the
sea was smooth, not more than a foot or
eighteen inches above its surface ; every
wave that broke near threw its spray over

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 67

us, and each billow in striking our little
bark forced part of its foaming waters over
the bow on both sides. Happily we had a
bucket on board, by means of which we
were able to bale out the water. In this
state we continued, I suppose, about two
hours, hoping that the clouds would dis-
perse, and the winds abate ; but instead of
this the storm seemed to increase, and with
it our danger. Most of the natives sat down
in the bottom of the boat ; and under the
influence of fear, either shut their eyes or
covered them with their hands, expecting
every moment that the waves would close
over us. We were not unconscious of our
peril, and as a last resource took down our
little sail and our mast, tied the masts, bow-
sprit, and oars together in a bundle with
one end of a strong rope, and fastening the
other end to the bow of our boat, threw
them into the sea. The bundle of masts,
<fec. acted as a kind of buoy or floating an-
chor, and not only broke the force of the
billows that were rolling towares the boat,
but kept it tolerably steady while we were

68 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

dashed on the broken waves, or wafted we
knew not whither by the raging tempest.

" The rain soon abated, and the northern
horizon became somewhat clear, but the
joyful anticipations with which we viewed
this change, were soon superseded by a new
train of feelings. Ure, ure, tea, moana !
exclaimed one of the natives ; and looking
in the direction to which he pointed, we
saw a large cylindrical water-spout, ex-
tending like a massive column from the
ocean to the dark and impending clouds.
It was not very distant, and seemed moving
towards our apparently devoted boat. The
roughness of the sea forbade our attempt-
ing to hoist a sail in order to avoid it ; and
as we had no other means of safety at com-
mand, we endeavoured calmly to await its
approach. The natives abandoned them-
selves to despair, and either threw them-
selves along in the bottom of the boat, or
sat crouching on the keel with their faces
downwards, and their eyes covered with
their hands. The sailor kept at the helm,
Mr. BarrT sat at one side of the stern, and 1

A VISIT TO NAHANT.

on the other, watching the alarming object
before ns. While thus employed, we saw
two other water-spouts, and afterwards a
third, if not more, so that we seemed al-
most surrounded by them. Some were
well defined, extending in an unbroken line
from the sea to the sky, like pillars resting
on the ocean as their basis, and supporting
the clouds ; others assuming the form of a
funnel, or an inverted cone attached to the
clouds, and extending towards the sea be-
neath. From the distinctness with which
we saw them, notwithstanding' the density
of the atmosphere, the farthest could not
have been many miles distant. In some
we imagined we could trace the spiral mo-
tion of the water as it was drawn upwards
to the clouds, which were every moment
augmenting their portentous darkness. The
sense of personal danger, and immediate* de-
struction if brought within the vortex of
their influence, restrained in a great degree
all curious, and what in other circumstan-
ces would have been interesting observa-
tions on the wonderful phenomena around

70 A VISIT TO NAIIANT.

us, the mighty agitation of the elements,
and the terrific sublimity of these wonders
of the deep. The roaring of the tempest,
and the hollow sounds that murmured on
the ear as the heavy billow rolled by in
foam, or broke in contact with an opposing
billow, seemed as if ' deep called unto deep,'
and 'the noise of water-spouts might al-
most be heard, while we were momentarily
expecting that the mighty waves would
sweep over us.' The hours that followed
were among the most solemn I have ever
passed. Although much recurred to me-
mory that demanded deep regret and the
most sincere repentance, yet I could look
back upon that mercy which had first
brought me to a knowledge of the Saviour
with a gratitude deeper than I had ever
felt before. Him, and Him alone, I found
to be a refuge, a rock in the storm of con-
tending feelings, on which my soul could
cast the anchor of its hope for pardon and
acceptance before God: and although not
visibly present as with his disciples on the
sea of Tiberias, we could not but hope that

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 71

He was spiritually present, and that should
our bodies rest till the morning of the resur-
rection in the unfathomed caverns of the,
ocean, our souls would be by Him admitted
to the abodes of blessedness and rest. I could
not but think how awful my state would
have been had I in that hour been ignorant
of Christ, or had I neglected or despised the
offers of his mercy : and while the reflec-
tion induced thankfulness to Him, through
whom alone we had been made to share a
hope of immortality, it awakened a tender
sympathy for our fellow- voyagers, who sat
in mournful silence at the helm and bottom
of the boat, and who seemed averse to con-
versation. Our prayers were offered to
Him who is a present help in every time of
danger, for ourselves, and for those who
sailed with us : and under these or similar
circumstances several hours passed away.
The storm continued during the day ; at
intervals we beheld through the clouds and
rain one or other of the water-spouts, the
whole of which appeared almost stationary,
until at length welost si^ht of them alto-

72 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

gether, when the spirits of our native voy-
agers evidently revived.

" Throughout the Pacific, water spouts
of varied form and size, are among the most
frequent of the splendid phenomena, and
mighty works of the Lord, which those be-
hold who go down to the sea in ships, and
who do business upon the great waters.
They are sublime objects of interest when
viewed from the shore ; but when beheld at
sea, especially if near, and from a small and
fragile bark, as we had seen them, it is al-
most impossible so to divest the mind of a
sense of personal danger, as to contemplate
with composure their stately movements,
or the rapid internal circular eddy of the
waters."*

Here Edward paused, and returned the
volume to his mother, for he perceived that
the pencilled lines with which she was ac-
customed to mark such passages as she
wished them to read, extended no further.
As he gave it to her, he said, " Thank you,

* Vol. II. Polynesian Researches.

A VISIT TO NAHANT 73

dear mother, for thinking of this account of
Mr. Ellis, and giving it to me to read ; it
has brought the scene so completely before
me, that I actually felt as if I could see the
water-spouts with my own eyes, and I long-
ed to be in the boat with them."

" Oh, brother !" exclaimed Emma, " how
could you wish to be there ! • I am sure all
the time you were reading, I could not help
thinking how glad I was that I was in un-
cle's nice parlor, instead of being tossed
about on the ocean in that dreadful storm.
Even hearing of others having been there,
made me tremble all over."

" Remember, my daughter," said her mo-
ther with a smile, " Edward belongs to the
stronger sex, and has by nature a very
courageous disposition, though I cannot but
think if he were to find himself at this mo-
ment transferred to a frail bark, which was
tossing about on the tempestuous ocean,
and an awful water-spout before him, he
too might wish to be on the safe and quiet
land."

* I think still, dear mother," he replied,
7

74 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

" that I should like to be present at such a
scene, but I will not be too sure, because
you have taught me to see what a deceit-
ful heart I have."

" There is one thing, my dear children,"
observed Mrs. Stanley, " that I wish to no-
tice particularly in Mr. Ellis's narrative,
which is the description that he gives of the
peace of mind which faith in Christ imparts
at such moments. You will most probably
never be placed exactly in similar circum-
stances, but sudden death may threaten us
on land as well as on the stormy ocean ; a
thousand events may occur to place your
lives suddenly in peril, and believe me, my
children, such moments are not the ones to
make your peace with an offended God.
The soul is too much agitated, too full of
terror, to be master of its powers. So much
is felt necessary to be done, that the mind
becomes bewildered, and tod often nothing
is done, I fear, effectual to salvation, and
the poor thoughtless despiser of God's
word, or the negligent hearer of it, pass
from these scenes stupified almost with ter-

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 75

ror, and only regain their full powers of
consciousness, when it is too late, and they
find themselves alone and helpless — self-
condemned sinners before the throne of
God. Mr. Ellis remarks that he found in
the prospect of death, ' Christ, and Christ
only, could be a refuge for his soul.' Oh !
let us pray continually, that the < Almighty
and everlasting God would mercifully look
upon our infirmities, and that in all our
dangers and necessities, He would stretch
forth His right hand to help and defend us,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.'

1 While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyelids close in death,
When I rise to worlds unknown,
And behold thee on thy throne,
Rock of Ages ! cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee '' "

76 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

CHAPTER VI.

■" Gem, flower, and fish, — the bird, the brute

Of every kind, occult or known,
(Each exquisitely formed to suit

Its humble lot, and that alone,)
Through ocean, earth, and air fulfil
Unconsciously their Maker's will,
Who gave without their care or thought

Strength, beauty, instinct, courage, speed ;
While through the whole His pleasure wrought

Whate'er His wisdom had decreed."

It is always delightful, in whatever situ-
ation we may be placed, after having re-
tired to rest in the midst of a tempest, to
awake on the following morning and find
the storm has vanished, and the night of
darkness has given place to a day of bright
sunshine. But though this change is most
grateful every where, it is particularly so
to those who at such times may be station-
ed near the ocean. Its waters then appear
of a more beautiful blue, and the waves,
not recovered from the agitation of the past
storm, are dashed with greater power and
majesty on the beach. The spectator feels

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 77

his spirits raised in a more than ordinary-
degree, and he is almost tempted to think
he is better than usual, because he 'is hap-
pier.

The party at the cottage, as they looked
out on the face of nature on the morning
after the storm, seemed inspired with feel-
ings of this kind. Every one appeared full
of life ; and when, after breakfast, Mr. Ben-
son's voice was heard as he summoned his
guests, saying, " To the beach ! to the
beach ! I prophesy that you will find some
spoils that are worth gathering, after the
tempest of yesterday," the cheerful sum-
mons was joyfully met and answered by
the happy voices of Edward and his sisters,
and in a few moments the party were wend-
ing their way to the sea.

Mrs. Stanley remained at home to attend
to something which required her presence,
and while she was thus engaged in a back
room, she heard the light and rapid foot-
steps of a young person crossing the piazza,
and in a moment after, Anna entered the
apartment in which her mother was sitting..
7*

78 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

Her hat was thrown back, and her generally-
mild and gentle countenance was flushed
with pleasure, as, she opened her apron to
show her mother the treasures she had been
collecting. " See, dear, dear mother, what I
have found ; they look very much like the
sea-eggs which you have in your cabinet ;
can they be the same kind of thing?
Yours have not these sharp green things
like thorns over them, and are prettier
than mine ; but I hope these will look
whiter when I have washed the sand off
them."

Her mother took one of Anna's new found
treasures into her hand, and after she had
looked at it for a few moments, she said,
" You have indeed been very fortunate in
finding these things, my dear. They are,
.■as you supposed, sea-eggs, or as they are
sometimes called, sea-urchins ; and though
they are not so white as those which you
have seen in my cabinet, they are much
more valuable. Yours have been killed
very recently, probably by being thrown
violently on the beach during the tempest

ECHINUS, OR SEA-URCHIN

Fig. 1.
Shell, with a few spines remaining.

Fig. 2.
Lower part of the shell, showing the mouth and five teeth

Fig. 2, taken from Kirby's Bridgewater Treatise.

A VISIT TO NAHANT.

last evening. They contain the animal in
the inside, and will give us an uncommon-
ly good opportunity for examination."

" Please, dear mother," said Anna, " to
give us this evening some account of them,
for it would be such a pity for you to tell
me about them now, when brother and
Emma are away. You know they will
enjoy hearing of the sea-urchins very
much."

By and by, the rest of the party returned,
but when they had each brought their offer-
ings, Anna's were pronounced decidedly
the most valuable. Mrs. Stanley watched
the countenances of her children with some
anxiety, for she was fearful lest some una-
miable feelings might be displayed by them
on this occasion. Though the prize gained
was in this instance a small one, she knew
the corruptions of the human heart too well
not to be aware that the most trifling ad-
vantage possessed by another, will some-
times be sufficient to rouse envy in the
breast. But the heart of the Christian mo-
ther was gratified in seeing how warmly

82 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

Edward and Emma sympathized in the
pleasure of Anna. She had found several
sea-eggs, and she insisted on dividing them
with her companions : after they had been
examined for a time they were put by un-
til the evening, when Mrs. Stanley pro-
mised to give her children some little his
tory of them.

When the young Stanleys received a
message from their uncle after tea, sum-
moning them to the drawing-room, they
immediately came into the house, and when
they entered it, they observed he had ar-
ranged Anna's sea-urchins on the table, and
by their side had placed some beautiful
white ones of his own, which were entirely
free from spines.

"The Echinus, or Sea-egg," said Mrs.
Stanley, "is a very large genus of animals,
included like the Medusae, until lately, un-
der the class of Zoophytes. These ani-
mals all have round or oval-shaped shells,
though they are divided into a great many
species. Many of these are now only found
in a fossil state, numerous specimens of

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 83

which are to be seen in all the large muse-
ums of this country. These I will not
trouble you with at this time, and will only
describe some of those which are found
abundantly at the present day in a living
state, in different parts of the world. I told
you some evenings since, that the Medussa
have been separated by some modern
naturalists into an order to which they
give the name of Gelatines ; another order
is added to this, and both together form
Lamarch's class of Radiaries. It is under
the second that the Echinus, or sea-urchin
is placed, with some other very interesting
sea-animals, that I hope to be able to tell
you about hereafter, as they are quite as
interesting as any you have yet heard of."
Mrs. Stanley now took up one of the shells
of the sea-urchin which her brother had
given her, in order to explain its singular
formation to her children. It was not, like
Anna's, covered with spines, neither was it
closed at the bottom, but was beautifully
white, and entirely hollow throughout. She
told them that the empty sea-urchin shells

84 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

had probably been beating about on the
shore for a longtime, and had been whiten-
ed by the effect of the heat of the sun.

" I am going to call in the aid of a very
powerful assistant," said Mrs. Stanley, " in
my attempt to describe the singular forma-
tion of the sea-urchin, since 1 rind his work
contains more valuable information than
that of any other author I have consulted ;
and I shall be enabled also to avail myself
of some of his interesting plates in addition.
The author to whom I allude is the Rev.
William Kirby of England, in his number
of the Bridgewater Treatises. I will give
you, in as simple language as I can, the ac-
count of l the wonderful manner in which
the house that these animals reside in, is
constructed by its Divine builder,' to use
his own language. The shell of the sea-
urchin is formed by two coverings or mem-
branes, one outer and thicker, and the
other very thin. Between these is a shell
of a limy kind, composed of a great num-
ber of many-sided pieces, which you will
perceive by looking at this shell which I

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 85

have broken ; you observe it does not crack
in a straight line, or in an irregular crooked
one, but in pieces which have the same
zigzag shape uniformly. I can explain
the construction of this shell better by tak-
ing one apart, and your uncle has been so
kind as to give me a shell on purpose to
break for you."

" Thank you, dear uncle, for your kind-
ness," said all the young people.

" I will now separate it," continued Mrs.
Stanley ; " you observe that I have divided
it into many little strips shaped somewhat
like the slices of a muskmelon when cut
for table. Edward may count the number."

He did so, and told his mother that there
were twenty of these pieces.

" You will observe," said she, " that ten
of these pieces are covered with round
lumps sticking out from the shell, some of
which are larger than others ; the remain-
ing ten are pierced with rows of little holes,
like pin holes ; it is from the rows of holes
that the tentacles or feelers of the animal
are thrust out, while, the rows of little pro-
8

86 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

tuberances or lumps were covered with the
spines. Observe when I pluck off a spine
from one of Anna's sea-urchins; under-
neath it is one of these lumps. Each one
then in these rows had once a spine fitted on
it like a ball and socket. The animal, when
alive in the inside of the shell, was able to
move the spines at pleasure, or thrust its
feelers through these tiny holes.-'

" I believe, mother," said Edward, '( that
the sea-urchin uses these spines to turn
itself about with, like the spokes of a wheel ;
at least I have read of their doing so."

" It is, I believe, generally thought so,"
replied Mrs. Stanley ; " and Mr. Kirby says
expressly, that he thinks the sea-urchin em-
ploys its spines in moving itself about, using
some as legs to advance forward, and others
to prevent itself from being thrown back
again. And he tells us, that it is by means
of the spines that they bury themselves in
the sand on the sea-shore. Spallahzini,
however, was of a different opinion, and if
you are disposed to listen to him again, I
will tell you how he came to this conclusion."

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 87

" I will give my vote," said Mr. Benson,
" to allow the traveller a hearing, as I have
not forgotten his history of the Medusae.
What say the young people ? All who are
in favor of my motion will say aye."

The young Stanleys gave their votes
in the affirmative, and Mrs. Stanley went
on with her narrative.

" The traveller declares that the fact of
the sea-urchins being armed with thick
spines, and also furnished with a prodigious
quantity of feelers which they thrust forth
or conceal at pleasure, is too well known
for any one to attempt to dispute. While
this is evident to all who will take the trou-
ble to examine the animals, it has been by
no means so settled a matter, which of these
two parts of its body it uses in moving from
place to place. Some time before writing
this account, Spallanzini tells us that he
had an opportunity of examining a number
of sea-urchins, in the Gulf of Spezzia, and
the result of these experiments convinced
him, that if the animal is taken out of the
water, (in which state it will live but a short

88 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

time,) it will move itself solely by its spines ;
but on the contrary, so long as it remains
in its native element, its removal from place
to place will be effected entirely by means
of its tentacula or feelers. He took five
sea-urchins, which were brought up by the
coral fishermen when fishing for coral, and
put them immediately into a bucket of sea-
water, in order to examine them on his re-
turn to Messina, a few hours afterwards.
While he was returning he observed, that
notwithstanding the agitation of the water,
caused by the motion of the bark, all five
of them had ascended from the bottom of
the bucket up the sides, almost to the top,
where they remained fixed by means of
their feelers. This convinced him that the
feelers were not only of use to fasten the
animals, but also to enable them to move
about. He then separated them, though
with a good deal of difficulty, from the
bucket, because he wished to watch them
ascend, and see how they managed matters,
and placed them at the bottom of a glass
bucket, wicn smooth, straight sides. One

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 89

of them he placed with its mouth upwards,
which is an unnatural position for the sea-
urchin, for when at home, in the bottom of
the sea, they always have their mouths
downwards. This poor thing, feeling un-
comfortable in the position in which the
traveller had placed it, made a violent effort
to recover its natural posture. On one side
it thrust out fifty or more of its feelers,
spreading them as much as possible, and
fixing them to the bottom 'of the vessel. It
then drew them in, and by so doing some-
what raised its body. < It was now, as it
were, on one side, and it remained in that
position by holding fast with its contracted
feelers. It then put forth other feelers on the
same side, drew in these also when firmly
fixed and let go the others first thrust out,
and made a still farther turn of its body.
When it had performed this curious ope-
ration several times in succession, it suc-
ceeded finally in getting its mouth in its
natural position, downwards. " Now what
do you think of our little friend's contri-
vance V: asked Mrs. Stanley, with a smile.
8*

90 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

" I think," said Edward, " that he is an
uncommonly smart fellow, and really seems
to have had a will of his own."

His mother remarked, " We may indeed
say with Kirby, ' Who can say that the all-
wise Creator did not foresee all the situa-
tions into which this animal would be
thrown, so as to provide it with every thing
that it would require.' We will now go
back to Spallanzini's five urchins which we
left in the glass bu'cket. He tells us that after
the one which I described to you succeeded
in getting back to its natural position, it,
with the rest, travelled rapidly up the sides
of the bucket, until they all reached the
top of the water. In the ascent, he ascer-
tained by a means which I cannot approve
of, that the animals only used the feelers —
it was by cutting off the spines of one of
them ; when, notwithstanding this loss, it
turned itself over and moved up the bucket
by its feelers alone, as well as the others
which still possessed their spines."

"You told us, mother," said Edward,
" that after the sea-urchins had risen to the

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 91

top of the water, they fastened themselves
to the sides of the bucket. I do feel very-
curious to know by what means they
could fasten themselves to the smooth glass
so as to make it difficult to take them off
again."

"I do not wonder that your curiosity is
excited, Edward," said Mr. Benson ; " I am
sure mine is, and I could hardly credit the
fact, did not your mother give it on
such good authority ; and were I not fully
convinced of the infinite wisdom and love
of our Heavenly Father, in meeting the
wants of the most humble of his crea-
tures."

" I must own," said Mrs. Stanley, " I was
deeply affected with the proof of ' that ten-
der mercy which is over all His works,'
when I read this part of the narrative of
Spallanzini ; and I could not but feel a most
painful void in it, when I found him descri-
bing with such minuteness the skill of the
contrivance, and yet not offering one mo-
mentary tribute of praise to Him who had
designed it. I found myself saying invol-

92 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

untarily, < Praise the Lord, oh my soul, and
all that is within me : Praise His holy
name !' He mentions a fact which Droves
the tenacity with which the sea-urchins
adhered to the sides of the smooth glass
bucket. While one of the creatures was in
this position, he laid on its spines a lead
weight of 32 qz. ; notwithstanding which, it
still kept a tight hold ; and before he could
force it down, he was obliged to add an ad-
ditional . 7 oz. piece of lead. After men-
tioning this, he says, 'But what shall we
suppose to be the cause of so strong an ad-
hesion to bodies of so great smoothness as
glass? The following observations will
serve as an answer : If we view the feelers
of the sea-urchin through the sides of the
glass vessel at the time the animal stretches
them out, and before he fixes them, we shall
find that they are of a white color, and
that each of them terminates in a little pro-
tuberance, having a hole in the middle of
it. When one of the feelers is viewed
through a microscope, it is found that there
is a little canal leading all the way down

A SECTION OP THE INSIDE OP THE SHELL OP THE
ECHINUS, OR SEA-URCHIN.

A. One of the frames to which the jaws are attached.

B. The outside of one of the jaws.

C . The inner and furrowed side of the jaw.

Taken from Kirbv's B. T.

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 96

the feetar from its root in the body of the
animal, &iid ending in this little hole, in
what we call the foot. If the feeler is
pressed with a piece of wire, there will be
found issuing from this small hole, a very
little drop of extremely sticky liquor. With
this glue, as it were, the animal fastens it-
self where it pleases. Spallanzini tells us
that the feelers were so very transparent,
that he was enabled by the aid of a micro-
scope, to see the means which the sea-ur-
chins employ to obtain so strong a hold ;
they press their little fe6t strongly against
the glass, and thus force away the sea-wa-
ter, and then stretching thsm they form a
little cavity with the bottom of them, into
which they force immediately the glutinous
matter which fastens them so firmly."

" This is indeed wonderful, mother," said
Edward, " and is it not pecuiifcr to the sea-
urchin?"

" No, my dear, it is not," said fcer mother.
" There are many other varieties of shells,
which attach themselves in a similar man-
ner. The common marine mus« le posses-

96 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

ses the power in a striking degree. Smellie,
in his interesting work on Natural History,
asserts some extraordinary facts with regard
to this animal, which I will relate to you
on another occasion. At present, we must
confine ourselves to the sea-urchin ; at least,
if you feel inclined to hear any more of
the won ers of its dwelling house."

"lam sure we all are anxious to do so,"
replied Edward, " I was only afraid there
was no more to be told."

" You have been informed of many of
the proofs of the skill and tender considera-
tions of God, which are displayed in the
formation of this humble inhabitant of the
mighty deep, but other and still more strik-
ing ones, remain to be told. Kirby assures
us, * that the most powerful and complex
organs with which the Creator has fur-
nished them, are their jaws and teeth.'"

Emma and Anna both showed symptoms
of surprise and amazement, at the mention
of these organs in the sea-urchin, and
Emma took one of the sea-urchins which
her sister had found, and turned it round

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 97

and round with a bewildered look. Ed-
ward laughed outright. " Poor Emma," said
he, " you look quite as much puzzled as you
did that famous day when I tried to make
you look at some clams feeding."

She bore her brother's smile very good-
naturedly, and turning to her mother, begged
that she would be so good as to show her
where the mouth and jaws of the sea-urchin
were. Her mother took up one of the shells
and showed Emma in the bottom of it, a
little space directly in the middle, which
seemed to be formed of something like
parchment. In the centre were 5 small
white teeth, (plate 3, fig. 2.) These she
told her were the mouth and teeth of the
animal, but its jaws were in the inside.
Mrs. Stanley then took one of Anna's shells
and asked whether she might open it. Anna
cheerfully consented, and her mother took
it apart in order to explain the wonderful
manner in which it was made.* It con-
sisted of five pieces, each of which formed
an arch, and the whole a frame which she

* Kirby's Bridgewater Treatise, page 112.

.7

98 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

said had been compared to a lanthorn with-
out a skin," (plate 4, fig. a.) To these were
attached the moveable part of the appara-
tus, consisting of 5 jaws, each containing a
long tooth, (plate 4, fig. b, c,) the teeth con-
verging so as to close the mouth. Alto-
gether, this complex machine consisted of
25 pieces, moved by 35 muscles." She
told them that this apparatus was of a much
more powerful kind, than that furnished
by God to the mighty whale, that it was
supposed the little sea-urchin really lived
on food that was more difficult to bruise
and chew, than that which supplied the
wants of the great monarch of the deep.

"I cannot omit," said Mrs. Stanley, "in
conclusion, to quote a few lines from Mr.
Kirby, where he closes his account of the
sea-urchin, since it will furnish a most ap-
propriate termination to the conversation
of the evening. After describing all their
various organs, he continues, ' The work-
manship also, in these animal structures, is
as beautiful and striking, as the contrivance
manifested in them is wonderful. Their

A VISIT TO NaHANT. 99

protuberances, their variously sculptured
spines, their tentacular suckers, all by their
perfect finish and admirable forms declare
— l The hand that made us is divine,' since
they exceed in these respects, the most
elaborate human works.' "

CHAPTER VII.

"One spirit — His,
That wore the platted thorn with bleeding brows,
Rules universal nature."

One evening, when the party at the cot-
tage were seated at the open windows, ga-
zing at the beautiful ocean, which was
tinged with silver by the beams of a new
moon, Mrs. Stanley inquired of her bro-
ther, if he had ever been so fortunate as to
find any of the Sea-anemonies, or animal
flowers, in their open state, as she said she
had been told they were occasionally met
with on the rocks of Nahant, at very low
water.

" So I have been told," replied Mr. Ben-
son, " though I have never been so fortu-
nate as to see them. It requires younger

100 A. VISIT TO NAHANT.

and more adventurous limbs than mine to
scale these precipitous rocks."

When Mr. Benson had ceased speaking,
Emma, who was the most inquisitive, ea-
gerly inquired what animal flowers were,
and begged to know if her mother would
not be so kind as to tell them about them.

w If you can have patience, my dear, to
wait until to-morrow evening," said her
mother, " I will try to gratify you. You
know I always like to collect my materials
beforehand, so that I may be able to give
you as much information as I can upon
every subject."

They were quite ready to wait their
mother's convenience, and did not impor-
tune her with entreaties to gratify them at
that present moment, as many young per-
sons are accustomed to do.

The long wished for hour at length arriv
ed, and the young Stanleys took their places
by their mother's side, with minds eagerly
intent on receiving all the information she
had to communicate with regard to the
new object of inquiry — the Sea-anemonies.

ACTINIA, OR SEA ANEMONE

Stalk.
Flower.

Taken from Plate in

C. Animal.

D. Rock to which it is attached.

Sketches of Naval Life.;'
9*

A VISIT TO NAHANT.

■ If you had not already told us of so
many ' wonders of the deep,' mamma," said
Anna, " I should hardly know wha* to
make of such a thing as an animal flower.
I suppose it must be some kind of creature
that looks very much like a flower."

" Yes, Anna," replied her mother, " these
animals do indeed resemble flowers, so
much so, that they were for a long period
classed with the members of the vegeta-
ble kingdom. I remember when I was
a little girl my curiosity was very much ex-
cited by a description of these extraordinary
creatures, which was given me by a gen-
tleman who was a friend of my father's,
and had passed much of his life in the West
Indies. He told me that these curious flowers
grew on the rocks of St. Yincent, and that
they looked so beautiful with their gay
colored blossoms, that he had a strong de-
sire to pluck one, and examine it more
closely : he stepped cautiously out on the
wet and slippery rocks to pick one, but to
his amazement, as his hand approached the
object of his desire, the flower vanished.

104 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

Getting somewhat irritated at being thus
repeatedly baffled in his attempts, he struck
one quickly with his cane, but in vain. A^
last he perceived a round piece of coral*
with a hole, from which one of these bright
visions appeared; he stretched forth his
arm quickly and gained the coral indeed as
his prize, but the genii of the stone had dis-
appeared. He was not aware of the fact
that plunging it in sea-water would have
made the animal re-appear, and therefore
he preserved the coral without having his
desires gratified. This prison-house of the
animal flower he showed me, and my
childish curiosity was excited to a great
degree, and I gazed upon it as I would on
some mysterious being, for I was at that
time entirely ignorant of the existence of
such an animal as that which is called the
Sea Anemony."

" I remember, mother," observed Ed-
ward, " your telling me of an account of
the animal flower which you had read in
Mr. Jones's Naval Sketches, and your
speaking to me of the plate of one, which

A VISIT TO NAUANT 105

he had copied from life. I am really very
curious to know how they are able to put
on these beautiful forms, mamma, and hope
you will be so kind as to give us their his-
tory."

"You probably recollect," said Mrs.
Stanley, " that I told you when describing
the Echinus, or sea-urchin, that it had been
classed by modern naturalists, with some
other interesting marine creatures, under
the general name of Radiaries. Now the
Actinia, or Sea-anemony, is among these
genera. It differs in some respects from the
sea-urchins, and the Gelatines, or Medusae ;
whereas these two genera of creatures roam
about in search of food, the latter of the two
only attaching themselves to the rocks for
safety, the Sea-anemony adheres to them uni-
formly, and only separates on extraordina-
ry occasions. I do not know whether I could
in any way give you so good an idea of the
Actinia, as by reading the description of
one of them furnished by the author of
Naval Sketches, to which Edward has re-
ferred. He introduces us to those which

A VISIT TO NAHANT.

grow in the harbor of Port Mahon, in these
words. l Let me describe a curiosity I saw
in the harbor a day or two since. As 1
sauntered along its shores my attention was
drawn to a beautiful flower at the bottom,
where the water was near a fathom in
depth. It grew on a stalk about three
eights of an inch in diameter, and about
ten inches in length ; was in shape like an
inverted cone, about five inches in diame-
ter, and was variegated with brilliant
colors, red, yellow, and purple. It was a
beautiful thing, and I wanted it ; so I de-
termined to knock it off, hoping some
chance might bring it to the shore. I threw,
and saw that I had struck it, but when the
water cleared up the stalk was there, but I
could not discover the flower. After a vain
search I went on further, and came to ano-
ther near the shore. I thought I was sure
of this, and got a stalk to draw it to me,
when, as I touched it — quash — the whole
disappeared. It was all animal, flower and
all. I have since procured several, and
have preserved them. The stalk is formed

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 107

by concentric coats of gristly matter, which
are transparent when the outer one is re-
moved : it is attached to the rocks below.
It forms a tube, in which is an animal about
seven inches long, with two rows of feet in
its whole length ; at its upper end is the
head, and rising from the latter, the flower
I have spoken of. This is formed by a
vast number of very delicate fibres, each
with an exceedingly me and variegated
fringe, placed like thav of a feather : they
do not form a single cup, but several, one
inside of the other, and their roots so
ranged as to produce a spiral channel
reaching to the animal's mouth. They
have a strong sensitive power, and as soon
as touched are dragged by the animal into
the stalk. After a few minutes it ascends
again, and the flower spreads out as before :
doubtless they are intended for taking food.
A touch will spoil them, so delicately are
they formed. I cut off the flower, and pass
a paper under it in water ; then by laying
it on a board and pouring water on it,
spread it out as I wish it ; when dried it

108 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

looks like a painting. They are called
water-pinks by the natives.' "

" Oh ! mamma," said Emma, " what a
nice description that is which you have
given us ; I think I can see the flower be-
fore me now."

" Look at this plate with which the au
thor accompanies the account, (see plate 5,}
and then I think you will probably form a'
correct idea of the Sea-anemony," said her
mother, as #she showed her children the
engraving. " I have some farther notices
to give you of these singular creatures on
the authority of Mr. Smellie. He tells us
that the animal assumes such a variety of
figures, that it is difficult to describe it un-
der any particular form. In general, their
bodies have a resemblance to a cone with
the point cut off. A cone, Emma, is longer
than it is wide, it is circular at the bottom,
and continues to taper off in a round form
to the top, where it ends in a point. With
regard to color, some of the Sea-anemonies
are red, some greenish, some whitish, and
others are brown. When the mouth, which

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 109

is very large, is fully open, its edge is sur-
rounded with a great number of fleshy
threads, or horns, like those of the snail..
These horns are disposed in three rows
round the mouth, and give the animal the
appearance of a flower. Through each of
these horns it squirts jets of water. What
is peculiar in the formation of these crea-
tures is, that the whole interior of their
body or cone, is one cavity or stomach.
When searching for food they extend their
horns, and entangle any small animals
which may happen to lie in their way.
When they meet with their prey they in-
stantly swallow it, and shut their mouths
close like a purse. Though the animal-
flower should not exceed an inch and a
half in diameter, as it is all mouth and sto-
mach, it will swallow large shells, which
sometimes remain in the stomach for several
days. Their nutritious parts are at last,
however, extracted : but how does the ani-
mal get rid of the shell? The creature
has no other opening in its body but the
mouth, and this is the instrument by which
10

110 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

it both receives nourishment, and gets rid
of the unprofitable parts of its food. When
the shell is not too large the animal -flower
has the power of turning its inside out, and
by this strange manoeuvre the shell is
thrown out of the body, and the animal re-
sumes its former state. I have," said Mrs.
Stanley, "given you this account almost
exactly in the language of Mr. Smellie;
but I cannot forbear at this point interpo-
sing a few words, in order to lead you, my
dear children, to observe the kind consid-
eration of our heavenly Father towards the
least of his creatures. While His infinitely
exalted mind is directing the course of His
providence, whose ways are often, as the
prophet beautifully expresses it, ' so very
high that they are dreadful,' setting up one
mighty empire, and putting down another,
He yet does not become unmindful of the
feeblest insect, or the animals which seem
to hold the lowest place in creation, and
who are buried under the mighty ocean. If
He were not as infinite in love as He is in
wisdom, would He thus have considered

A VISIT TO NAHANT. Ill

such apparently trifling circumstances as
the one I have just mentioned with regard
to the Sea-anemony. The animal He re-
membered was unprovided with many
things which other creatures possess ; He
saw what was to be its food, and that it
might often be subjected to pain and incon-
venience, by having its stomach filled with
the hard parts of the shell-fish on which it
was to subsist, and therefore in tender con-
sideration for its comfort, He kindly gave it
a power not furnished to higher animals,
that of turning its own body inside out, and
in this manner enabled it to get rid of the
troublesome matter. This is still more
strikingly displayed by another part of its
formation. I have told you that it could
thus empty its stomach, but I ought to have
said in addition, that it can only do so when
the shell is presented in one position, which
is the common one ; but Mr. Smellie ob-
serves, 'what is extremely singular, near
the lower part of the body it splits, as if a
large wound had been made with a knife,
and through this gash the shell is thrust

112 A VISIT TO NAIIANT

out, if it has so happened that it has been
presented in a wrong position.' I men-
tioned to you that the Sea-anemony pos-
sessed the power of moving itself from the
rocks to which it is generally fixed, though
it seldom has occasion to exert it, and it
does so in the following manner. 'The
outside of its body is furnished with nu-
merous muscles, these muscles are tubular,
and are filled with a fluid which makes
them project in the form of prickles. By
means of these muscles the animal is ena-
bled to perform its very slow movements.
It can also, when it pleases, loosen its base
from the rock, place what was its head
downwards, and employ the horns round
its mouth as so many limbs. Still, how-
ever, it moves very slowly.' "

When Mrs. Stanley had concluded her
narration of the appearance and habits of
the Actinia or Sea-anemony, she received
the warm thanks of the group by whom
she was surrounded, and Anna begged to
know if there were any other marine ani-
mals which put on such beautiful forms as

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 113

those did, which her mother had just de-
scribed.

Her mother told her that there were
many others equally handsome, which
were already known to naturalists, though
the anemonies were the most numerous,
and bore as a class the most striking re-
semblance to the vegetable world. And
she also informed her children that there
was great reason to suppose, there were
many lovely marine productions that were
still unknown to man, and which " the dark
unfathomed caves of ocean bear." " There
is one of these marine beauties described by
Mr. Kirby, which I cannot forbear to tell
you of," said Mrs. Stanley. " He informs
us that an engraving of it has been given
in the transactions of the Linnean Society
of London, under the name of Tubularia
Magniflca. The horns or rays of this ani-
mal he describes, f as fixed on a common
base, and forming one glorious and radi-
ant crown, with rings of the most beautiful
red and white ; of these there is a double
circle, the inner ones being shorter than.

10*

114 A VISIT TO N AH ANT

the outer ones ; when they are all expand-
ed, it is nearly six inches in diameter from
one side of the rlower to the other. When-
ever the animal is alarmed it withdraws
this splendid figure, and the tube, itself into
its burrow in the living rock, as a safe re-
fuge from its enemies.' He tells us also
that any one who has had an opportunity
of comparing this expanded animal-blos-
som with some species of the passion-flower,
would be struck with the resemblance. He
thinks the principal object of the uncom-
mon length and number of their horns or
rays, may be for capturing, as in a net, the
numerous animals necessary for their sup-
port, who may perhaps also be attracted by
their great beauty."

Mrs. Stanley here drew out her watch,
and finding she had a half hour to spare,
she told her children that she would, if
agreeable to her brother, tell them about
some other brilliant beauties of the sea, that
she had alluded to formerly. "By all
means," said Mr. Benson, " I believe I am
taking almost as much pleasure as your

A VISIT TO NAIIANT. 115

children, in listening to your conversation ;
I find not only enjoyment, but profit also,
for it quickens, my gratitude to our gracious
Lord, to have these proofs of His love pre-
sented to my mind."

The lady then continued, " When we
were speaking of the luminous appearance
of the sea, I told you, I believe, that it was
supposed to be principally occasioned by
the presence of the families of the Gela-
tines or Medusge. There are, however,
some other very striking instances of ma-
rine animals which possess the power of
giving light, which appear more closely al-
lied to the animal-flowers in their forma-
tion than to the Medusse. They belong to
a class of animals to which some learned
men have given the name of Tunicaries.
They are thus characterized as a class.
1 The animal either leathery or gelatinous,
is covered by a double tunic or envelope.
The outer one somewhat similar to the
shell of other marine creatures, is provided
with two apertures ; the inner one some-
what like the fleshy animal which inhabits

116 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

these shells. Body oblong — divided into
many little cavities, without a head. These
marine creatures are sometimes solitary, in
other species many are attached together.'
Kirby thus speaks of the latter, ' The Cre-
ator when He filled the waters of the great
deep with that infinite variety of animals,
of which every day brings genera and spe-
cies before unknown to light, willed that
many of them should, as it were, form a
common body, consisting of many individ-
uals separate and distinct, as inhabiting
different cells, but still possessing a body
in common, and many of them receiving
benefit from the enlarging and contracting
of a common organ : thus presenting a type
of those animal communities where nume-
rous wills unite to effect a common object.
The land as far as I can recollect, exhibits
no instance of an aggregate animal ; nor
the ocean of one, which like the beaver,
ant, wasp, white ant, and bee, forms bands
to build and inhabit a common house, and
rear a common family. Instead of sending
the social marine animals forth in myriads

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 117

to collect food and materials for their sever-
al buildings, God took the vegetable world
as the model for their general structure, in
many cases fixed them to the rock or stone,
united them all into one body, which under
a common cover, contained often innumera-
ble cells, from which were sent forth by the
occupant of each a set of organs to collect
food, from which by some curious process
they could prepare materials to enlarge
their common house, and often cause that
influx and reflux, to compare small things
with great, resembling the tides of the
ocean, and by which the sea-water is at one
moment drawn in, and then thrust out by
these animals : this office in some of the
Tunicaries seems to be effected by a cen-
tral organ or pump, which is common to
the whole community.' Some of these ani-
mals are phosphoric, and so transparent
that all their internal organs and move-
ments can be plainly seen. Sometimes
rows of from forty to fifty of one species
called the Salpes, are to be seen fastened
together. These are perfectly regular;

H8 A VISIT TO NAIIANT.

that is to say, all the individuals are of the
same height, and the heads of one row are
turned to the same side, and those of ano-
ther to the opposite. Sometimes they are
carried by the waves in a spiral line, and
again in a straight one. In the sea, during
the day, they look like white ribands, and
during the night, like ribands of fire, which
are now rolled up, and then spread out
again. We can only form a conjecture of
the object of Divine Providence, in endow-
ing these animals with an instinct so sin
gular. Perhaps it may be to preserve them
from being destroyed by the force of the
waves, as they are so very frail, or perhaps
the stronger light which they thus produce
may be for defence. Though several of
these animals belonging to the class of Tu-
nicaries, are interesting on account of their
singularity and beauty, I shall only select
two, says Mr. Kirby, (for I am quoting his
words almost exactly, only altering them
when I made my extract to use more simple
ones.) Oneofthese is peculiarly striking, and
I have copied Mr. Kirby's plate of it, in order

A VISIT TO NAIIANT 119

to render this description more plain." She
then showed the little party this painting.
Her children exclaimed at the sight, " Sure-
ly, mother, this cannot be meant for an
animal ; we should have taken it for al-
most any thing else rather than for a living
creature."

" I do not wonder," said Mrs. Stanley,
" that you who are so inexperienced in such
matters, should be a little incredulous as to
the fact of this plate being intended to re-
present living creatures. The celebrated
Lamarch, who has devoted so many years
and so much talent to the study of natural
history, when speaking of this animal, and
the painting of it, from which Mr. Kirby's
was originally taken, remarks, ' Who would
think that the Pyrosome' (which is the
name he gives it) l was an assemblage of
little aggregate animals : any one that look-
ed at it, or at the plate of it, might mistake
it for a simple polype, with a number of
leaf-like appendages growing from its skin ;
but a closer examination of it would give
him a very different idea, and he would

120 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

discover, with wonder, that it was a mass
filled with animals united by their base.
The common body that contains these
creatures, resembles a hollow cylinder,*
closed at the upper extremity and open at
the lower. This body, or mass, is gelati-
noust and transparent ; a number of little
tubercles, or pimple-like lumps, of a firmer
substance than the tube, but at the same
time transparent, polished, and shining,
cover the surface ; some of them are termi-
nated by a lance-shaped leaflet.' "

" How large are these wonderful crea-
tures; mother ?" inquired Edward.

" They are said to vary in size according
to the different situations in which they are
found," she replied. " Those which inha-
bit the Atlantic are about five inches long,
while the Mediterranean species, one of
which this plate is intended to represent,
sometimes attain the length of fourteen
inches. Mr. Kirby tells us < that their
power of emitting light is so great, that in

* See plate 6.

t Of the nature of jelly.

PYROSOMA GIGANTEUM.

11

A VISIT TO NAIIANT 123

the night they cause the sea to appear on
fire.' Nothing can exceed the dazzling
light and brilliant colors that these floating
bodies exhibit — colors varying in a way
that is truly admirable, passing rapidly
every instant from a dazzling red to saffron,
to orange, to green, to azure, and thus re-
flecting every ray which is exhibited by the
heavenly bow."

" Oh, mamma," exclaimed Anna, " how
beautiful, how splendid these creatures
must be ! Please now to tell us how they
contrive to move along in the ocean. Do
they use these little things that look like
leaves for feet ?"

" No, my dear, they do not, I believe ;
they lie in the water lengthwise, like a
piece of wood, and are carried along in the
same manner by the current, Each one
of these little inhabitants of the common
dwelling can contract and then expand it-
self, and combine together to use their com-
mon pumps to draw in water into the tube,
or else drive it out. They are said to pos-
sess a singular mode of defence. When

124 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

the fishermen take them up in their hands,
probably somewhat roughly, they will fre-
quently draw in the tube and thus thrust
out the water so forcibly through the nume-
rous small openings into the faces of their
capturers as to blind them, and they, in
their astonishment, drop the creatures from
their hands."

The young Stanleys were highly amus-
ed at this stratagem. " We must not al-
ways judge, mother," said Edward, "of
persons' sense by their looks. I am sure I
should never have fancied, from the ap-
pearance of these good little people, that
they could have so much cunning."

Mrs. Stanley now laid aside her papers,
saying, " that she feared she had already
detained them too long, but she hoped that
the consideration of the works of God
would dispose them to listen most attentive-
ly to his word."

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 122

CHAPTER VIII.

" Now the deep lets loose
Its blithe adventurers, to sport at large,
As kindly instinct taught them. So He ordained,
Whose way is in the sea, His path amidst great waten

"Mamma," said Anna Stanley, "come
with me, if you please, to that spot on the
beach where Edward and Emma are stand-
ing, for we have found something to show
you that we have never seen before, and
that is very curious."

" Pray tell me, my dear," said her mo-
ther, "what it is you mean, for I am so
comfortably fixed on this rock, that I do
not particularly wish to move."

"Oh! mother! it is a sight well worth
seeing, for there are a parcel of shells walk-
ing down to the water as nicely as we
could, and yet they have no feet."

Her mother smiled, and permitted Anna

to lead her away, saying as she did so, " I

understand what you mean now, Anna ;

and I must tell you that conchologists have

given the name of foot to that organ of
11*

126 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

these inhabitants of the shell, by which
they are enabled to move from place to
place."

They soon approached the spot which
Anna had pointed out, and beheld a number
of shells, with the spiral part upwards, mov-
ing down to the water. Mrs. Stanley bade
her children observe the motions of these
animals. At each step they thrust out at
the opening of the shells (which were of
the stelia or snail family) a fleshy lip, as it
were, and then drew it in again. When
their mother took up one of them, the ani-
mal drew in its' fleshy fringe, and the whole
of the opening was entirely closed in an
instant by a horny and partly transparent
door. This fleshy organ, she told them,
had been named a foot, because it perform-
ed, in some degree, the same offices to the
shell, that the human foot does to the body
to which it belongs. " Do you not recol-
lect," she continued, "during one of our
visits to old Robert, my showing you one
of the Razor shells m his collection, and
telling you in what manner it was said to

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 127

sink its shell in the wet sand, or raise it
again when necessary ?"*

" Oh yes, mamma," replied Emma, " I
remember very well that you told us it
formed its foot into the shape of a little
trowel, and pushed it out at the bottom of
the shell, where the two pieces of it gaped
and lowered itself in that way. But I did
not know then what sort of thing the foot
of a shell was. Now that you have show-
ed us one, I can understand it better."

" Is this horny thing which the animal
draws in so closely, mamma," inquired
Anna, " part of its foot ? See, mother,
how tight the little thing has fastened it-
self in ; it will not let us see the least part
of its flesh now."

" This horny substance, Anna," replied
her mother, " is called the operculum, or
mouth-piece of the shell, and varies in ge-
neral appearance and in thickness very
much in different shells. Many are trans-
parent, horny, and very thin, like the one

* For this account, see " Wonders of the Deep."

228 A. VISIT TO NAHANT.

we have been just examining ; while others
are more than half an inch thick, and re-
semble the texture of the other parts of the
shell. Were this mouth-piece separated
from the animal, you would perceive that a
spiral line, similar to that on the shell, is
marked both on the upper and lower sur-
face. Some conchologists imagine that
this mouth-piece is formed on the neck of
the animal, which thus performs the part
of a mould, and increases in size with the
increasing size of the animal."

When the party reached home, they
were eagerly intent upon showing their
kind uncle the shell which they had
brought from the beach, with its closed
door. It was not however a new sight to
him, for he had frequently seen such be-
fore, and he now brought the young people
into his study, and showed them a number of
shells of the same kind, varying in size from
the diameter of half an inch to that of two
or three inches ; each had its own opercu-
lum, or mouth-piece, which fitted the open-
ing exactly. Anna told her uncle how they

VIOLET SNAIL.

Fig. 1.

A. The Animal.

B. The shell.

C. The air bubbles used to propel it.

CHITON, OR COAT-OF-MAIL SHELL.

Fig. 2.

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 131

had seen the little creatures moving, and
what her mamma had said of the wonders
they were able to perform with their feet.

"I can tell you of something still more
curious. What will you say when I tell
you that the animals which inhabit shells
not only know how to walk with their feet,
but that some species are also so industrious
as to sit within their shell houses and spin
with their feet a kind of silk, which is after
wards manufactured into gloves and stock-
ings V

" Oh, uncle !" said Emma, with a smile ;
"we have heard of their making silk,
though we did not know that they used
their feet for that purpose."

" Well, I am sadly afraid that your mo-
ther has left me nothing to tell that will
have the charm of novelty," said Mr. Ben-
son. " Let me see, what can I find that is
curious in my cabinet V After looking for
a while, he took up a very pretty purple
shell, and asked them if they had ever
heard of the violet snail ?* When an an-

* For the original account, see Kirby's Bridgewater
Treatise.

l32 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

swer was given in the negative by all the
young Stanleys, their uncle told them that
he should then be able to find something to
relate that would, he was certain, engage
'their attention. " This shell of mine," said
Mr. Benson, "was brought from South
America. When the sea, in certain places
of that region, is quite calm, fleets of the
violet snails, as I have read, may be seen
floating over the surface, by means of a
most singular contrivance, with which God
has furnished them. Their foot is flat, and
is provided with a transparent and most
delicate set of little bags of different sizes ;
these little bags the animal can at pleasure
fill with air by means of its foot. Look at
this painting of the violet snail, with the
animal which inhabits it, and its set of little
bags as they appear when filled with air,
(plate 7, fig. 1.) You will observe, if you
examine the shell which I have just shown
you, that it is remarkably thin and light,
quite as much so as those of the Paper
Nautilus. Doubtless they were both made
so by their merciful Creator, in order that

A VISIT TO NAHANT 133

their weight might not interfere with the
movements of the animal when sailing. I
must not forget to tell you how kindly the
violet snail has been taught to avoid the
dangers of a rough and stormy ocean. It
has been furnished with the power on such
occasions of drawing in the air from these
little bladders, which then shrink into an
excessively small ccmpass, the skin being
scarcely thicker than the covering of a soap
bubble. After having forced out the air, it
sinks itself into the ocean, and is thus safe
from the threatening storm."

" Thank you, dear uncle," was echoed
from the lips of Edward by his sisters,
when Mr. Benson had ended his account
of the violet snail.

He afterwards resumed the conversation
in the following manner. "Both of the
shells whose motions we have been con-
sidering belong to what conchologists term
the univalves, or shells consisting of only
one piece ; would you like me to tell you
of the movements of some of the bivalves,

12

134 A VISIT TO NAHANT

or those which have two parts, like the
clam or oyster ?"

Being urged to do so, Mr. Benson took
out of his cabinet a common muscle shell,
both sides of which were perfect, and the
hinge which united them was there also.
" This shell," he observed, " has no beauty
to boast *of, and yet from the contrivance
exhibited in the formation of the animal
which inhabits it, it is worthy of your at-
tention. Mr. Smellie informs us, < that it is
provided with a fleshy organ of a red color,
which projects from the lower part of the
shell, which is its foot. When inclined to
remove from its present situation, the river
muscle opens its shell, thrusts out its foot,
and while lying on its side in a horizontal
position, digs a small furrow in the sand.
Into this furrow, by the operation of the
same foot, the animal makes the shell fall,
and thus brings it into an upright position.
We have now got our muscle on end ; but
how is he to proceed ? He stretches for-
ward his foot, by which he throws back the
sand, lengthens the furrow, and this prop

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 135

enables him to proceed on his journey.'
This account," said Mr. Benson, " I thought
so well worth preserving that I copied it, as
you observe, and keep the paper folded up
under my muscle shell for the benefit of the
visiters to my cabinet."

" Here is another shell, uncle," said Ed-
ward, " with a little piece of paper under it,
that has some writing on ; may I read it to
my sisters ?" His uncle gave him permis-
sion, and he proceeded to give the follow-
ing extract from Mr. Smellie's work.

" The scallop has the power of progres-
sive motion on land, as well as that of
swimming on the surface of the water.
When the animal happens to be deserted by
the tide it opens its shell to its full extent,
then shuts it with a sudden jerk, by which
means it often rises five or six inches from
the ground. In this manner it tumbles for-
ward till it regains the water. When the
sea is calm, troops or little fleets of scallops
are often observed swimming on the sur-
face. They raise one valve of their shell
above the water, which becomes a kind of

36 A VISIT TO NAHA.NT

sail, while the other remains under the wa-
ter, and answers the purpose of an anchor,
by steadying the animal and preventing its
being overset. When an enemy approach-
es they instantly shut their shells, plunge
to the bottom, and the whole fleet disap-
pears. By what means they are enabled to
regain the surface we are ignorant."

" I must tell you," said Mr. Benson, " that
it was a shell of this latter kind which was
worn in former times by Catholic pilgrims
in their caps ; so essential indeed was this
ornament considered to their dress, that one
of the most popular of our modern poets,
when he wishes to describe the appearance
of a pilgrim palmer, says, 'He wore St.
James's cockle shell.'"

" Here, Edward, close by the scallop, you
will find an English pecten ; which two
families of shells are closely allied. The
latter was celebrated even among the old
Roman writers for its movements. One of
them says that the pecten can leap and flut-
ter out of the water, and dive. Its mode of
walking, or moving, is so similar to that of

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 13/

the scallop, that it is needless for me to de-
scribe it particularly. Several other of the
bivalved shells use their feet in moving
themselves from place to place. But I have
already told you of so many, that I am
afraid you will be wearied with the sub-
ject. I will therefore give you permission
to select for yourselves any specimen in my
cabinet that strikes you as curious, and you
may bring it to me for an explanation."

This was considered a great privilege,
and the young people were soon intent on
their search. Edward, after examining the
different articles for:a long time in silence,
took up one, which riveted his attention
from its being a novelty to him. It was
about three inches in length, of a reddish
brown color, and consisted of many small
pieces fastened together by a gristly sub-
stance ; the shape was oval, not unlike a
baker's loaf, and, like that, rounded above ;
it was, however, entirely hollow. Edward
carried it to his uncle, and begged to know
its name, though he said he scarcely thought
it could be a shell, as it was unlike any

12*

138 A VISIT TO N AH ANT

thing of the kind he had ever before seen.
(Plate 7, fig. 2.)

" Nevertheless, Edward," said his uncle,
" this creature is ranked as a shell by con-
chologists, who give the genera to which it
belongs the name of Chiton, or coat-of-mail
shells, from the striking resemblance which
they bear to the coats of armor in which
the soldiers of olden times were accustomed
to clothe themselves when going to battle.
Chitons are generally found under stones,
but often fasten themselves to rocks, or in-
sert themselves into their cracks. Mr.
Trembley, a gentleman who had great op-
portunities for studying the habits of those
Chitons which inhabit the coast of Chili,
says, ' that when not apprehensive of dan-
ger they attach themselves very slightly to
the rocks, and that by pushing them gently,
they easily slide from the surface to which
they are attached ; but if a direct attempt is
made to unfix them by force, they will part
with a portion of their shells sooner than
let go their hold.' They also secure them-
selves strongly to the bottoms of vessels,

A. VISIT TO NAHANT. 139

and in this situation, as well as in others,
they are much exposed to the violence of
the waves, and the attacks of formidable
marine enemies : on these accounts most
probably it was, that He who made all
things, and remembers the peculiar neces-
sities of each, furnished the Chitons with
their coats-of-mail, by which they are pro-
tected in safety from all dangers."

When Mr. Benson had finished his ac-
count of the Chitons, his young relatives
returned to the cabinet and laid the shell
carefully in its proper place. Before many
minutes had elapsed, Anna was arrested
by a large genus, some of which she said
she had often seen before, though she was
ignorant of their names. There were many
species, differing in color and marking, and
also in their degrees of roughness, some
being covered with ridges and little pro-
jections, while others were nearly smooth.
In shape, however, there was a general re-
semblance among the species, and in this
respect they varied from the rest of the col-
lection. They were generally oval, but

140 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

all were uniformly formed of single pieces,
and looked, Anna thought, a good deal like
saucers turned upside down ; the upper
and round surfaces of these shells answer-;
ing to the bottom of a saucer, were the
parts which were colored and marked ; the
hollow parts were white, like the inside of
other shells ; and in the centre many of
them had small holes, which looked as if
they had been pierced. " Pray, dear un-
cle," said Anna, " be so kind as to tell me
the name of this family of shells, and how
the animals contrive to live in them."

" They all belong," he replied, " to the
genus Patella, and are known commonly
by the name of Limpets.* This family of
creatures, like that of the Chitons, attach
themselves to the rocks ; their rounded and
ornamented surfaces are placed upwards,
and when one looks at a rock thickly peo-
pled with them, he is reminded of a tented
camp in miniature. The animals which
inhabit these shells are secured by then

* Plate 8, fig. 1.

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 141

substantial tents from the violence of the
waves above, and they are fastened firmly
to the rocks beneath by means of numerous
little threads, which answer the purpose of
cables. Emma looks so knowing, that I
think she must have some information to
communicate. Pray tell me what it is, my
little niece."

" Your account of the Limpets, dear un-
cle," she modestly replied, "makes me
think of what the African servant says of
them, in Mr. Richmond's pretty tract. Now
that you have been so kind as to show us
these Limpet shells, and tell us how they
are fixed on the rocks, I can understand
what poor William said better than I did
before."

" I should like to hear what it was," said
Mr. Benson, " for it is a long while since I
read the tract of the African servant."

" If you will be so kind as to let me get
the volume in which it is, I will read it to
you, uncle," answered Emma.

" I would much prefer hearing it in your
own language, Emma."

A VISIT TO NAHANT.

The little girl hesitated for some minutes,
and then said, " Uncle, you remember one
day Mr. Richmond went to see William, to
talk with him, before he ventured to bap-
tize him. Before he got to his master's
house he saw William seated on the rocks
by the sea-shore, reading his Bible. Mr.
Richmond left his horse and sat down by
him, and then this conversation about the
Limpets took place. Poor William told
Mr. Richmond what a sinful heart he had,
and said nobody had such a naughty one.
He said, £ Look at those Limpets, master,
and see how fast they keep hold of the
rocks ; just so sin sticks fast to my heart.'
Mr. Richmond bade him go, with all his
sins, and take hold of the cross of the Lord
Jesus Christ by faith in him ; and then, he
said, as the waves could not force the Lim-
pets away from the stones on which they
had fastened themselves, so neither should
any thing separate him from the love of
Jesus."

" Thank you, my dear Emma," said Mr.
Benson ; " I am pleased to find you remem-

A VISIT TO NAHANT. i43

ber the anecdote so well, for these simple
illustrations of the truths of the gospel are
very useful to us all, and I am grateful to
the excellent Mr. Richmond for giving such
a truly Christian lesson from the history
of the humble Limpet. You have already
been told of several kinds of shells, which
have been taught by their divine Maker
to secure themselves in an extraordinary
manner, and I will show you another of
somewhat similar habits." He then took
up a large and beautiful shell, and asked
Edward if he knew its name. "Yes, sir,"
replied Edward, " my mother has several
of the same kind, though much smaller,
which she calls ear-shells. She told me
this name had been given to them because
they were thought to resemble a human
ear."

' " As you have seen these shells before,"
said Mr. Benson, " you have no doubt ob-
served the line of small holes which are
uniformly found in them under the fold of
the ear. Can either of you give me a rea-

lii A VISIT TO NAHANT.

son why you suppose they have been
made ?"

Neither Edward nor his sisters were able
to offer one. Their uncle then laid one of
these shells on the table, with the pierced
side up, which he told them was their natu-
ral position, and bade them take notice that
it did not lie so close to the table as the
Limpets. "They, however, fasten them-
selves to the rocks," he said, " in the same
manner as those shells do, and keep up a
communication with the air, or water above
them, entirely by means of these little
holes." He then showed them one of the
shells of the Haliotes, or Sea-ear family,
which had upwards of a dozen of these
apertures ; more than half of which were,
however, closed ;* these were at the upper
end of the shell, and were much smaller
than the open ones. " They were made,"
observed Mr. Benson, "when the animal
was young, and its habitation small ; as
they increased in age and size it stopped up
its small windows, and made larger. You

* Plate 8, %. 2.

PATELLA, OR LIMPET SHELL.

Fig. 1.
HALIOTIS, OR EAR SHELL.

Fig. 2.

13

A VISIT TO NAIIANT. 147

have now, I think, had quite enough matter
for your young heads to digest on one day,
and so I shall dismiss you from my study."
So saying, Mr. Benson locked up his cabi-
net, and the young people took their leave
of him for the present, after thanking him
warmly for all the trouble he had taken for
their p-ratiflcation.

CHAPTER IX.

Gen. 1 : 20. " And God said, Let the waters bring
forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life."
21. " And God created great whales and every living
creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth
abundantly after their kind" — " and God saw that it was
good."

A day or two after the visit of the young
Stanleys to their uncle's study, which was
recorded in the last chapter, while Mr.
Benson was reading his newspapers there,
he observed the heads of his nieces peeping
in, as if to ascertain whether he was en-,
gaged. When they found that he was busy,
they very properly withdrew in silence.

148 A VISIT TO NAIIANT.

They were not, it must be confessed, very
sorry to hear their uncle's voice recalling
them, before they had gone far from his
door, for these little girls dearly loved to be
with their kind friend.

When they came in, they stood by his
side in silence for a few minutes, as if they
were a little unwilling to tell him what was
their object in making the visit. Mr. Ben-
son, too, said nothing for a while ; but at
last he gave one of his good-humored
smiles, and drew them both towards him.
After looking at them steadily, he asked if
he should guess what they came for ; they
told him to do so, if he pleased.

" Well," said he, "I must try my powers
of sifting matters. Let me see — Anna and
Emma Stanley were so much pleased with
the sight of their uncle's cabinet the other
day, that they are greatly inclined to look
at it again. Anna being the most timid, is
afraid to make the request herself, and so
Emma has come, supported by her sister
to ask the favor. Edward, I suspect,
thought it would look too childish for him

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 149

to be seen in front of the detachment ; but if
•I am not mistaken ; he is lying in ambush
behind, ready to be summoned. Have I
not stated matters pretty nearly right ?"

The laugh of the little girls was echoed
by a merry peal from the hall, and soon
Edward appeared. u You have not guessed
exactly what we came for, dear uncle,"
said Emma. " It was not so much to see
your cabinet, as to ask you if you would be
so kind as to tell us of some more of the
curious anecdotes you know about shells
and other creatures which are found in the
sea."

" Ah !" said Mr. Benson, " it is a more
serious favor then, you have to beg of me ;
but as I always like to gratify the rational
desires of young people, when made known
at proper times, and in a right manner, I
will not deny you if you give me a little
while to collect my materials. You may
go and amuse yourselves, or employ your-
selves this morning, and this afternoon, at
four o'clock, you may return to my study."

Just as the hall clock struck the last note
13*

150 A VISIT TO NAIIANT.

of four, Mr. Benson heard a gentle tap at
his door, and when he gave the summons
to enter, Mrs. Stanley and her three chil-
dren appeared. "I hope you will admit
one more into your audience than you
promised," said that lady, "for I always
like to take every opportunity possible, of
gaining information that may benefit my
children."

" I certainly shall not do so rude a thing,"
replied her brother, " as to turn a lady out
of my presence ; more especially, as I think
it very likely I shall have to call in her as-
sistance. Among all the 'wonders of the
deep,' which have been described since your
visit, I have heard no notice taken of the
various species of fish ; and as some of them
are in their habits very curious, and as all
exhibit traces of His wisdom and love, who,
when they were first, created, pronounced
them ' good,' I have determined to speak of
this branch of the animal kingdom this af-
ternoon, in preference to any other. Fishes
are ranked with the other animals which
possess a skeleton of bones, but they are

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 151

distinguished from them all by their mode
of breathing;. You are all aware that hu-
man creatures, birds, and beasts, are fur-
nished by God with lungs, by which they
draw in the air, and then expel it again :
but as fishes were created to inhabit the
water, their apparatus for breathing is very
different : this consists of their gills, which
are formed, to use Mr. Kirby's words, { of
long pointed plates disposed like the teeth
of a comb, attached to bony or gristly bows;
each of them covered by a tissue of innu-
merable blood vessels.' I will read you a
short passage from the twenty-first chapter
of Mr. Kirby's Treatise with reference to
this subject, since I think his remarks are
truly worth remembering by all of us. ' We
know by experience,' he says, 'how soon
an animal that breathes by lungs, if it re-
mains only a few minutes under water, and
is cut off from the atmosphere, is suffocated
and dies ; and that all aquatic animals that
have not gills, or something like them, as
all the water-beetles, &c. are obliged to seek
the surface of the water for breath. Whence

152 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

we may learn what an admirable contri-
vance of divine wisdom is here presented
to us, to enable the infinite host of fishes to
breathe as easily in the water as we do in
the air.' He afterwards tells us, that when
we sum up the various characteristics by
which this class of creatures we are now
considering is distinguished from other
branches of the animal world, t we can
trace at almost every step — so plainly, tha*
almost he that rims can read — infinite pow-
er in the construction, infinite wisdom in
the contrivance and adaptations, and infi-
nite goodness in the end and object, of the
peculiar modes by which they are enabled
to live and move, and carry on the various
animal functions. What else than such a
God as the Bible represents, ' could have
peopled the air and the waters with a set
of beings so perfectly and beautifully con-
trasted with each other, as the fishes and
the birds. Sprung originally from the same
element, they each move, as it were, in an
ocean of their own, and by the aid of simi-
lar, though not the same means. The

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 153

grosser element they inhabit, required a dif-
ferent set. of organs to defend, to propel and
guide, and to sink and elevate the fish, from
what were requisite to effect the same pur-
poses for the bird, which moves in a rarer,
(that is, thinner, more delicate,) and purer
medium.' — Kirby. As a specimen of the
wisdom and love of God, displayed in suit-
ing the bodies of fishes to the element in
which they were intended to live, let me
point out to your notice the peculiarities in
their eyes. We all know that the sensation
felt on opening our eyes in water, is very
painful, and only overcome by long prac-
tice, but this organ in the head of the fish is
formed like ours ; how then is it enabled
to move in water so pleasantly and readily?
Kirby informs us, that 'the substance of
which it is made makes the access of water
no more troublesome to it, than that of the
air to land animals.' The common eel,
which was intended to live a great deal
buried in the mud, was provided by the
goodness of the Creator, with a transparent
curtain which it can at pleasure draw over

154 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

its eye, to shield it from the mud. Another
singular kind of eye is found in a fish which
inhabits the rivers of Surinam, and is called
by the natives the four-eyed fish : it is fur-
nished with four pupils, and four of the
iris : the iris is, you know, that part of the
eye which is colored differently in various
persons, some being blue, others black, ha-
zel, or gray. Mr. Kirby conjectures that
1 the object of divine wisdom in this ex-
traordinary formation, may have been, to
enable the animal to see near and distant
objects at the same time — the little worms
below it, that form its food, with one pupil
and iris, and the great fishes above it or at
a distance, which it may find it necessary
to guard against, with the other.' "

" Is the eel the only kind of fish, uncle,"
inquired Edward, " that is furnished with
a curtain to draw over its eyes ?"

" It is certainly not the only one, Ed-
ward," replied Mr. Benson ; " on the con-
trary, Dr. Good in his Book of Nature, tells
us not only that the elephant, opossum, seal,
cat-kind, and all birds, but that all fishes

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 155

are provided with what he calls a third eye-
lid, by which they are enabled to cover
their eyes with a thin transparent veil,
either wholly or in part, and thus defend
those organs from danger."

" I wish, brother," said Mrs. Stanley,
" that you would be so kind as to tell my
children something about the formation and
use of the fins of fishes, as Edward has
been making many inquiries on the sub-
ject."

"I will with pleasure," answered Mr.
Benson, "for it is a point well deserving
our consideration, and certainly one of the
most essential and striking characteristics
of fishes, from the little minnow, which a
child may hold in the hollow of its hand,
to the mammoth whale. Fins appear to
have been given to these creatures, as far
as we can ascertain, entirely as instruments
of motion : they assume a variety of shapes
and sizes, but could we examine each
individual fish, we should see that the
Almighty Creator has taken care that
the fins of every one should be specially

166 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

adapted to its particular weight and mo-
tions. Mr. Kirby observes, l Nothing is
more graceful and elegant than the motions
of fishes in their own pure element. Not
to mention the shifting radiance of their
forms as they glance in the sunbeams, their
extreme flexibility, and the ease with which
they glide through the waters, give to their
motions a character of easy progress which
has no parallel, unless, perhaps, in the va-
ried flight of the wing-swift swallow among
birds. How rapidly do they glide, and are
lost to sight by a mere stroke of their tail !
at another time, less alarmed, how quietly
do they suspend themselves, and cease all
progressive motion, so that we can discover
them to be alive only by the fan-like mo-
tion of their pectoral fins,* an action which
seems in some sort connected with their act
of breathing ; for they move them, as I
have observed, more rapidly when in sultry
weather they seek the surface.' I must
try," resumed Mr. Benson, " to give you a

* Pectoral fins are those which are nearest the head,
and close by the gills.

A VISIT TO NAHANT. . 7

brief description of their fins : they are com-
posed of a covering of skin which is gene-
rally supported by bony or gristly rays, like
the strips of cedar in a paper or silk fan,
and like that, they can open or shut, more
or less. Fishes are usually provided with
two pair of fins ; those nearest the head an-
swer the same purpose with the forelegs of
other animals ; the pair next the tail cor-
respond with their hind legs : they have
also, in many instances, a fin along the
back ; l and the tail itself terminates in
another, which is the most powerful of all.'
This last they use not only as an instru-
ment of motion, but as a rudder to guide
them in their course. Some kinds of fish
are said to possess the sense of hearing in
an uncommon degree ; and I recollect
reading of some carp, or salmon, I do not
remember which, that were kept in a pond
by some English nobleman, which had
been taught to rise regularly to the surface
of the water for their dinner at the sound
of a bell. Mr. Kirby quotes the naturalist
Lacepede's assertion of some facts of this

14

158 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

kind, which, I must own, seem to me a little
incredible : this gentleman not only de-
clares. ■ that in many parts of Germany fish
of the trout, carp, and tench kinds, are sum-
moned to their food by the sound of a bell,'
but also, that ' some were kept in the basin
of the Thuilleries for more than a century,
that would come when called by name? "

The young Stanleys were highly amused
at this account, and seemed much amazed
that any fish ever lived to be an hundred
years old.

" If you think an hundred years so ex-
traordinary an age for a fish to attain, my
young friends," said Mr. Benson, '-what
will you say to the pike which was taken
at Kaiserslauten, on the Rhine, 1754 ;
which, from a ring fastened in its gill, was
proved to have been put there in 1487, by
the order of one of the emperors of Germa-
ny, and which was consequently upwards
of 267 years old ? This venerable patriarch
measured 19 feet in length, and weighed
350 pounds."*

* Kirby's Bridgewater Treatise, p. 392.

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 159

" Oh, uncle !" said Edward, laughing,
" that was certainly the Methuselah of fish-
es. No doubt such a venerable personage
must have been wiser than any you have
mentioned before. But, seriously, how can
the age of a fish be known when it is with-
out such a contrivance as the ring 1 I am
sure I cannot think how it can be possibly
told."

" Mr. Smellie informs us," said Mr. Ben-
son, "that two methods have been devised
for ascertaining the age of fishes. One is
by examining their scales with a micro-
scope, which will be found to consist of a
number of circles, one within another,
somewhat like the rings in the inside of the
trunk of a tree ; each one of these circles
answers to a year in the life of the animal.
The other mode is to cut the back bone of
the fish across, and observe the number of
rings in the surface of one of the joints,
each of which is said in like manner to
correspond with a year in the age of the
fish to which it belonged. Before giving
you any description of particular species of

160 A VISIT TO NAIIANT.

fish, I cannot omit noticing one feature in
their history, and that is the extensive jour-
neys which many of them make at certain
seasons of the year. This instinct fishes
possess in common with many other ani-
mals, but in their case it is productive of
peculiar benefit to man, and may indeed De
ranked as a great blessing to our race."

"I do not understand, uncle," observed
Edward, "what you mean when you say
that that instinct of fishes which makes
them travel in large bodies to distant places,
is such a great advantage to mankind ; ex-
cept that at such times they afford abun-
dant and cheap food to many poor people,
as well as rich ones."

" Wait a little while, Edward," said his
mother, " and do not be too forward in giv-
ing your opinion. I have no doubt that
your uncle is amply provided with facts,
by which he can support his assertion."

"I will only instance," observed Mr.
Benson, " a few particulars connected with
the history of the herring, and then Edward
will be convinced that I have not spoken

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 161

hastily. This fish is said to be a native of
the arctic or frozen seas of Europe, Asia,
and America. When the ice begins to melt
in those waters in the spring of the year,
immense shoals of the herring, consisting
of many millions, so closely compacted
that the fish touch each other, set off on
their journeys in search of food, and to de-
posite their eggs. Mr. Kirby tells us that
1 these shoals are many fathoms in thick-
ness ; (a fathom is six feet.) The largest
and strongest fish lead the shoals, which
seem to move in a certain order, and to
divide in bands as they proceed, visiting
the shores of various islands and countries,
and enriching their inhabitants. Their
presence and progress are usually indicated
by various sea-birds, sharks, and other ene-
mies. One of the other species of fish, call-
ed the sea-ape, is said to accompany them,
and is thence called the king of the her-
rings. They throw off also a kind of oily
or slimy substance, which extends over
their columns, and is easily seen in calm
weather. This substance, in gloomy, still

14*

A VISIT TO NAHANT.

nights, exhibits a phosphoric light, as if a
cloth a little luminous was spread over the
sea. Some conjecture may be formed of
the infinite numbers of these invaluable
fishes that are taken by European nations,
from what Lacepede relates — that in Nor-
way twenty millions have been taken at a
single fishing; that there are few years
that they do not capture four hundred mil-
lions, and that at Gottenburgh and its vi-
cinity seven hundred millions are annually
taken : but what are these millions, he re-
marks, to the incredible numbers that go to
the share of the English, Dutch, and other
European nations.'" — Kirby, B. T. p. 61.

" Dear uncle," said Edward, blushing as
he spoke, " mother was indeed right ; for I
spoke very hastily, and I am afraid in too
forward a manner. I am sorry that I in-
terrupted you, and ventured to give my
opinion on a subject, on which I find that I
knew so little. I am astonished to hear
that the herring abounds in such monstrous
quantities."

" Your apology is accepted, my dear

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 163

boy," replied his uncle ; " I have, however,
some facts to state with respect to the her-
ring fishery, which will still more strongly
confirm my assertion, that the migration of
fishes is a great blessing conferred by God
on our race. < Three thousand decked ves-
sels of different sizes, besides smaller boats,
are stated to be annually employed in the
herring fishery, with a proportionable num-
ber of seamen, besides a vast number of
hands, that, at certain seasons, are occupied
in curing them.' — Kirby. Then, again,
Edward, barrels and boxes are to be manu-
factured to pack them in ; this gives em-
ployment to many coopers and other me-
chanics, so that not only do these fisheries
furnish food for the numerous people who
eat the fish, but they also provide work for
a vast concourse of different kinds of honest
tradesmen, and so become a blessing in va-
rious ways. I have mentioned the herring
as being the most remarkable instance of
migration, but there are various other kinds
of fish which might be noticed, such as the
cod, mackerel, haddock, salmon, &c. The

164 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

latter has been designated as l the king of
the river migrators.' It- is3 however, be-
sides, frequent in almost every sea all over
the globe, though it is said not yet to have
been seen in the waters of the Mediterrane-
an. ' It traverses the whole length of the
largest rivers. It reaches Bohemia by the
Elbe, Switzerland by the Rhine, and the
Cordilleras of America by the mighty Ma-
ragnon, or river of Amazons, whose course
is more than three thousand miles. In
temperate climates the salmon quits the sea
early in the spring, when the waves are
driven by a strong wind against the river
currents. It enters the rivers of France in
the beginning of the autumn in September,
and in Kamschatka and North America
still later. In some countries this is called
the salmon wind. They rush into rivers
that are freest from ice, or where they are
carried by the highest tide, favored by the
wind ; they prefer those streams that are
the most shaded. They leave the sea in
numerous bands, formed with great regu-
larity. The largest individual, which is

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 165

usually a female, takes the lead, and is fol-
lowed by others of the same sex, by two
an two, each pair being at the distance of
from three to six feet from the preceding
one ; next come the old, and after them, the
young males in the same order. The noise
they make in their transit, heard from a
distance, sounds like a far-off storm. In
the heat of the sun, and in tempests, they
keep near the bottom ; at other times they
swim a little below the surface. In fair
weather they move slowly, sporting as they
go, at the surface, and wandering again and
again from their direct route ; but when
alarmed, they dart forward with such ra-
pidity that the eye can scarcely follow
them. They employ only three months in
ascending to the sources of the Maragnon,
the current of which is remarkably rapid,
which is at the rate of nearly forty miles a
day ; in a smooth stream or lake, their pro-
gress would increase in a fourfold degree.
Their tail is a very powerful organ, and its
muscles have a wonderful energy ; by

166 A VISIT TO NAHANT

placing it in their mouth* they make of it a
very elastic spring, for, letting it go with
violence, they raise themselves in the air
to the height of from twelve to fifteen feet,
and so clear the cataract that impedes their
course ; if they fail in their first attempt,
they continue their efforts till they have ac-
complished it.' — Kirby. Hark !" said Mr.
Benson, " there is the bell summoning us
to tea ; I must, of course, postpone what
else I had to say until to-morrow."

* This idea of the salmon placing their tails in their
mouths, Mr. Smellie expressly contradicts, and declares it
a vulgar notion, and asserts that they spring straight up
with a tremulous motion : the young reader must decide
between Kirby's and Smellie's statements.

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 167

CHAPTER X.

" While the last bubble crowned the dimpling eddy,
Through which mine eye still giddily pursued it,
A joyous creature vaulted through the air, —
The aspiring fish that fain would be a bird,
On long light wings, that flung a diamond shower
Of dew-drops round his evanescent form,
Sprang into light, — and instantly descended."

Mrs. Stanley had, at the earnest re-
quest of her brother, prolonged her visit to
Nahant much beyond the time she had an-
ticipated when she first went there, until
she found she could remain no longer ; and
on the morning succeeding the day we de-
scribed in the last chapter, she informed
him at the breakfast table that it would be
absolutely necessary for her to leave him
the day but one after, though she said she
should do so with more regret than she
had ever experienced before on such occa-
sions. While she thanked him for all his
kindness to her and to her children, and
particularly for the trouble he had taken to
instruct and amuse them, by describing the
works of God to them, and leading them to

168 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

see His hand in their wonderful structure,
the tears of grateful affection rolled down
her cheeks. " I try, dear brother," she said,
" to look beyond this short life to that world
of blessedness and holiness, where I trust
we shall spend an eternity together, in dis-
coursing of God's great and glorious per-
fections, and in singing the great song,
which ascribes glory, and honor, and pow-
er, to our blessed Redeemer forever and
ever. While I think of that scene, I am in
some measure reconciled to our painful
separation here."

Mr. Benson became visibly affected also,
and he dwelt on the pleasure he had de-
rived from seeing his sister and her chil-
dren at his house. He told her that her
visit had given him quite a disgust, or
rather distaste for his solitary habits of life ;
so much so, that he had been seriously con-
sidering, whether she and her children
could not leave their old residence, and
come to live with him. " You know
Anna," said Mr. Benson, -'that I have no
wish to marry, and never have had, since

A VISIT TO NAHANT 169

the object of my early affections was taken
from me." He remained silent for a long
time, and seemed absorbed in a train of
painful recollections, as his memory revert-
ed to those happy days of early manhood,
when he was anticipating a union with
one who was peculiarly calculated to throw
a charm around domestic life. Disease
fastened on his beloved Mary, and she was
removed from him to another and better
world ; but he had loved too tenderly and
too long to form a second attachment, and
had gradually settled down as a confirmed
old bachelor. His quiet habits of life for
the last eight or nine years had made him
indisposed to travel, and his sister and he
had not met for that length of time. He
had been greatly delighted at seeing her
again, and had become so much attached to
her children, that the thoughts of a separa-
tion from them, and a consequent return to
a solitary parlor and a silent table, was
very painful to him. He had been for
some days seriously considering his project,
until he thought he had met and answered
15

170 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

every objection on his own part ; he now,
therefore, waited somewhat anxiously to
hear what his sister would say to the pro-
posal. She told him, after due deliberation,
that she felt no disinclination to the plan,
and she was sure that her children would
be as happy to remain with their dear un
cle as she could be, but that she felt a good
deal of delicacy in burdening him with so
great an increase to his family. " But I
tell you, Anna," he said playfully, " it will
De real charity in you to come to me ; I am
beginning to feel the approach of age, and
I often experience a sad want of a kind fe-
male friend to soothe and comfort me in
sickness. Edward shall be my assistant in
my counting-house, and my dear little girls,
at home ; your children shall have every
advantage in their education, and from
henceforth shall be considered as my own."
The mother's feelings were touched and
comforted, for she was often tempted to be
anxious about them, though she tried con-
tinually to commit them to Him, who has
so tenderly encouraged the timid parent to

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 171

cast her fatherless children on Him for pro-
tection. She had, from motives of delica-
cy, not made her difficulties known to her
brother, and he, from long absence, had
ceased to think of them, as he once had
done. A long conversation ensued, and
the result was, that it was determined Mrs.
Stanley should relinquish her humble coun-
try residence, which she had selected from
motives of economy, and not from choice,
and should come to preside over her bro-
ther's house. She was to leave him, as she
first proposed, and go home for a few weeks
to make her necessary arrangements ; after
that, she was to return and remain with Mr.
Benson. The young Stanleys entered into
their uncle's scheme with all the enthusi-
asm of youth, and were soon busy in lay-
ing their future little plans.

After dinner Mr. Benson summoned them
to his study, telling them that as they were
about to be separated for some weeks, they
must come and have a little more conver-
sation with him on the subject he had com
menced on the afternoon previous, in ordei

172 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

that, by occupying his time, he might not
have leisure to get melancholy at the
thought of being alone again. " We have
a good deal to talk of," he said, " and our
time is limited, so that I shall only be able
to make selections of certain kinds of fish
to describe to you. Anna, my dear, you
shall choose our first subject ; what shall it
be?" "It is hardly fair, dear uncle, to let
the youngest have the first choice," she re-
plied. "We are both willing that you
should do so," said Edward and Emma at
once, " for you are always so ready to give
up to us."

Anna selected the flying-fish as that
which she would most like to hear about.

" Ah !" said her uncle, " you want to
have a description of that £ aspiring fish
that fain would be a bird,' as Montgomery
the poet calls him. To render my account
the more interesting, I will show the wings
of one of these pretty creatures, which I
cut from a dead flying-fish, who destroyed
himself by his adventurous flight into my
vessel, during one of my voyages in the

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 173

Mediterranean." Mr. Benson took the wings
to which he referred from his cabinet, and
showed them to his nephew and nieces.
The largest was about six inches in length;
the rays were very small and delicate, and
the texture of the wing resembled a sheet
of thin transparent mica, or isinglass. " Tfi3
fish," he said, « to which this belonged, flew
with some others of the same kind into our
vessel. They had probably been alarmed
by the attack of some larger fish, for they
came with great rapidity, and looked as if
under the influence of terror. This poor
thing in its haste ran its head against part
of the vessel and killed itself. It was about
a foot in length ; the wings were the fins
nearest the head, and were formed of this
light transparent substance, in order, no
doubt, that their weight might not interfere
with the motions of the animal. We ate
the flesh, and found it delicate and agreea-
ble. Mr. Kirby is not quite willing that
we should apply the term flying, to the mo-
tions of these pretty creatures in the air ;
he says the word is not a correct one, for
15*

174 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

that these fish really do not use their fins
to fly with, but as a support in the air, when
they are driven from the sea by the attacks
of their rapacious enemies. I have told
you of a fish that flies, would you like to
hear of some that can walk, and even climb
trees |w

" Oh, uncle !" said Emma, "surely you
are not in earnest !"

" Yes, I am, Emma," answered Mr. Ben-
son, " really and truly in earnest, and I
have the best authority for my assertion.
Not to mention others, I will merely tell
you that both Dr. Good and Mr. Kirby de-
scribe such animals of the fish kind. 1 will
read you some extracts from the latter
gentleman's work, which are as follows.
' Other fish, when reduced to extremity,
desert their native pool, and travel in search
of another that is better supplied with wa-
ter. This has long been known of eels,
which wind by night through the grass in
search of water, when so circumstanced.
Dr. Hancock, in the Zoological Journal,
gives an account of a species of fish, called

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 175

by the Indians the fathead hassar, which
is instructed by its Creator, when the pools
in which they commonly reside, in very
dry seasons lose their water, to take the re-
solution of marching by land in search of
others which contain water. These fish
grow to about the length of a foot, and
travel in large droves with this view ; they
move by night, and their motion is said to
be like that of the two-footed lizard. A
strong serrated* arm forms the outer ray of
the fin nearest the head. Using this as a
kind of foot, it would seem, they push
themselves forward by means of their elas-
tic tail, moving nearly as fast as a man will
walk leisurely. The strong plates which
envelope their body make their progress
more easy ; in the same manner as those
under the body of the serpent, which in
some degree perform the office of feet. It
is affirmed by the Indians that they are fur-
nished with an internal supply of water
sufficient for their journey, which seems

* Serrated — having an edge toothed like that of a com-
mon saw.

176 A VISIT TO NAIIANT.

confirmed by the circumstance that their
bodies when taken out of the water, even if
wiped dry with a cloth, become instantly
moist again. Mr. Campbell, a friend of
Dr. Hancock's, resident in Essequibo, once
fell in with a drove of these animals, which
were so numerous that the Indians filled
several baskets with them.' l Another fish
found by Daldorff in Tranquebar, not only
creeps upon the shore, but even climbs the
fan-palm in pursuit of certain crustaceans,
which form its food. (This fish is called
the perca scandens, or climbing perch.) Its
structure peculiarly fits it for the exercise
of this remarkable instinct. Its body is
rendered slippery with slime, which ren-
ders its progress easier over the bark and
among its chinks : its gill-covers are armed
with numerous spines, by which, used as
hands, it appears to suspend itself; turning
its tail to the left, and standing as it were
on the little spines of its lower fin, it en-
deavors to push itself upwards by the ex-
pansion of its body, closing at the same
time its gill-covers, that they may not pre-

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 177

vent its progress ; then expanding them
again, it reaches a higher point : thus it
continues its journey upwards. The fins
can, if necessary, be folded up, and received
into a cavity of its body. How exactly does
this structure fit it for this extraordinary
instinct ! These fins assist it in certain
parts of its route, and when not employed
can be packed up, so as not to hinder its
progress. The lobes of its gill-covers are
so divided and armed as to be employed to-
gether or separately as hands, for the sus-
pension of the animal, till by fixing its low-
er fins, it prepares itself to take another
step ; all showing the supreme intelligence
and almighty hand that planned and fabri-
cated its structure, causing so many organs,
each in its own way, to assist in promoting
a common purpose.' " — Kirby. When Mr.
Benson had finished reading the above pas-
sages, he showed the young Stanleys an
engraving in the same volume of a kind of
fish called the callicthys, which Mr. Kirby
assures his readers possesses the same pow-
ers of motion as the flathead hassar.

178 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

" There is another member of this fami-
ly," said Mr. Benson, " called the hag-fish,
which uses its moving powers in a rather
extraordinary manner. It belongs to that
class of fishes which Cuvier distinguishes
by the general name of suckers. The cele-
brated Linnaeus ranked it among worms,
but Dr. Good tells us that it has been re-
moved from that order with great proprie-
ty by modern naturalists, and placed among
fishes. That gentleman gives us the fol-
lowing description of the hag-fish. ' It is
a small lamprey-like animal of not more
than eight inches long, and will convert a
large vessel of water in a short period of
time into a size, (or clear transparent glue,)
of such a thickness, that it can be drawn
out in threads. The form and habits of
this little animal are singular. It is a cun-
ning attendant upon the hooks of the fish-
erman ; and as soon as it perceives a larger
fish to be taken, and by its captivity render-
ed incapable of resistance, it darts into its
mouth, preys voraciously, like the fabled
vultures of Prometheus, on its inside, and

A VISIT TO NAHANT 179

works its way out through the fishs
skiu.'" — Book of Nature, p. 115.

"Anna," said Mr. Benson, " you have
had your turn in selecting a subject ; Emma
shall now choose what fishes there are, of
which she would like to hear an account."

The little girl thought for some moments
in silence ; at length she replied, " I was
going to say, uncle, that since you have
been so kind as to let me name those that
would interest me most, I should first say
the whale : but I have heard a good deal
about that already, and I believe it would
be better for me to ask for some that I know
less of; so, if you please, I will choose the
shark and the sword-fish."

" Really, Emma," said her uncle, " your
selection is somewhat odd, considering you
are so peaceable a young lady. May I in-
quire why you are particularly interested in
the history of the voracious and cruel
shark ?"

« The reason is, dear uncle, that I heard
a gentleman say the other day, that he had
very little doubt that it was one of these

180 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

fish, and not a whale, that swallowed Jo-
nah ; which surprised me, because Ithought
the shark was too small to swallow a man."
" I believe that opinion is becoming po-
pular," said Mr. Benson; "and the fact that
they are fully able to swallow as large a
body as that of a human being, is, I think,
established by no less an authority than
Spall anzini. I remember well that he
asserts several facts which are very strik-
ing on this point. When describing the
dangers attendant on the shark fishery,
he says, that somewhere about the time of
his visit to Messina, one of the fishermen
engaged in this occupation, was furiously
attacked by a very large shark, who finally
succeeded in biting off the poor man's leg,
and that when his companions succeeded
in killing the voracious creature, the limb
of the sufferer was found entire in its sto-
mach. He informs us that he was present-
ed at Nice with the jaws of a shark, in
whom after death the uninjured body of a
child had been found. And he also de
clares that many witnesses attested to the

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 181

fact of an enormous shark having- been
taken near one of the maritime towns of
Italy, in whose stomach were found two
tunnies, and the body of a man xcith his
clothes untouched. He accounts for their
extraordinary capacities for swallowing, by
mentioning the fact of their jawbones being
elastic, from which circumstance they are
able to open their mouths much wider than
they could do otherwise. Dr. Good calls
the shark, { the most dreadful of all the
monsters of the sea.' And says, £ the white
shark often extends to thirty feet in length,
and four thousand pounds in weight, fol-
lows ships with a view of devouring every
thing that comes in his way, and has been
occasionally known to swallow a man
whole at a mouthful. But in order to guard
us in some degree against the perils of their
presence, a peculiar stream of light issues
in the dark from their bodies, which can-
not well be mistaken; and as some com-
pensation for their rapacity, we obtain from
their liver a large quantity of useful oil,
and find in their skin a very valuable ma-
16

183 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

terial for carriage traces in some countries,
and for polishing wood, ivory, and other
hard substances in all countries.' — Page 185.
When we first look at this family of vora-
cious sea-monsters," continued Mr. Benson,
" we may be tempted to ask why the mer-
ciful Creator has formed such beings, which
are capable of inflicting so many tortures
on man? But our perplexities are in a
measure removed by the recollection that
these accidents, awful as they undoubtedly
are, happen but seldom : while the shark is
daily performing a work which is highly
serviceable to mankind ; for he may be
called the scavenger of the ocean, and re-
moves all those offensive floating carcasses,
which would otherwise greatly annoy, and
perhaps seriously affect the health of many.
If the vast families which people the
mighty deep had been permitted to go on
increasing without being destroyed by each
other, the ocean would, as Mr. Kirby ob-
serves, have been in time filled with them,
and its waters have overspread the land.
And even, my dear children, if we are

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 183

wholly unable to account for God's dealings
with us, or with the rest of the animal
world, we ought to remember that these
very mysteries may have been permitted
to exist to exercise our faith. Our blessed
Redeemer commended, in anticipation, those
who should believe on Him, without seeing
Him ; and no doubt He will in like man-
ner, reward with his approbation those who
continue firmly to maintain an unshaken
confidence in His love and mercy, though
they know such facts exist as those we have
alluded to, in the history of the shark, and
other voracious animals, and which they
cannot reconcile with their ideas of His
love. With regard to the other fish you
wished me to describe, Emma, I suppose it
is scarcely necessary to state, that the sword-
fish receives its name from the long ap-
pendage to its head, with which it has been
furnished as an instrument for attacking its
enemies. The largest species measures, I
believe, from 15 to 20 feet. You have, I
dare say, heard of a fragment of a vessel
which is preserved in one of the museums

'184 A VISIT TO NAIIANT.

of London, containing the sword of one of
these fish. This animal, it is said,* fol-
lowed an East India vessel, and attacked it
with such prodigious force that it thrust its
sword entirely through the timber of the
vessel, which would have been inevitably
destroyed by the leak thus made, had not
the animal been providentially killed by its
own violence. The sword thus remained
in the wood, and when the vessel reached
England, the timber containing it was
sawed out and taken to the British Muse*
um, as a curiosity worth preserving."

When Edward's turn came, he requested
his uncle to describe the curious eel, or fish,
he did not know which it was, that had the
power of giving an electric shock to those
who handled it.

When Edward named his subject of in-
quiry, his uncle smiled, and observed, "I
am bound to commend your choice, be-
cause it happens to be the same which I
had made previously, and to describe which
accurately, I have been consulting different

* Good's Book of Nature.

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 185

authors, and collecting all possible infor-
mation within my reach. You said, Ed-
ward, that you were uncertain whether it
was an eel, or another sort of fish, which
possessed the extraordinary power of in-
flicting an electrical shock. This pheno-
menon is not, however, confined to one
kind of fish, but is shared by five different
genera ; of these, two are particularly wor-
thy of notice. The gymnotus electricus,
or electric eel, belongs to one of these two,
and the torpedo to another. I told you that
I had consulted various authors, when pre-
paring to give you information on this sub-
ject ; not one of these, however, in fulness
of description, or in interest, is at all to be
compared with Mr. Kirby ; and despairing
of clothing his ideas in any language of my
own selection, that could be at all equal in
clearness to his, I have simply collected
such of his observations as I thought would
be most interesting, and copied them out
for you, and have taken the liberty of sub-
stituting occasionally more simple words
and expressions than those he makes use of,

10*

186 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

because I thought that by so doing I should
render the account more intelligible to your
youthful minds. I will now give you my
abridgment of Mr. Kirby's history of the
electric fishes. ' Amongst all the diversi-
fied faculties, powers, and organs, with
which supreme wisdom has gifted the men>
bers of the animal kingdom, as a means of
defence from their enemies, or for securing
for themselves a due supply of food, none
are more remarkable than those by which
they can give them an electric shock, and
arrest them in their course, whether they
are assailants or fugitives. That God
should arm certain fishes in some sense
with the lightning of the clouds, and enable
them thus to employ an element so power-
ful and irresistible, in the same manner
that we make use of gunpowder, to astound,
and smite, and stupefy, and kill the in-
habitants of the waters, is one of those won-
ders of an almighty arm which no inhab-
itant of the land is gifted to exhibit. For
though some quadrupeds, as the cat, are
known at certain times to collect the elec-

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 187

trie fluid in their fur, so as to give a slight
shock to the hand that strokes them, it has
never been clearly ascertained that they
can employ it to arrest or bewilder their
prey so as to prevent their escape. Even
man himself, though he can charge his bat-
teries with this element, and again dis-
charge them, has not yet so subjected it to
his dominion, as to use it independently of
other substances, offensively and defensive-
ly, as the electric fishes do. The faculty
of the torpedo to benumb its prey was
known to the ancients, and one of them
tells his readers, that, conscious of its pow-
er, it hides itself in the mud, and benumbs
the unsuspecting fishes that swim over it.
The Arabians observed this power, and
gave the two genera of electric fishes known
to them, the name raash, which signifies
thunder. The electric organ in one of the
four genera we have noticed, extends all
round the animal immediately under the
skin, and is formed of a coating of fibres in-
terlaced together so as to make a network,
the cells of which are rilled with a jelly-

188 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

like matter. The torpedo is the most cele-
brated of all the electric fishes. In this the
organ of its power extends on each side
from the head and gills, to the lower part
of the stomach, in which space it fills all
the interior of the body. Each organ is
attached to the parts that surround it by a
thin skin, and by a number of fibres. Un-
der the skin which covers the upper part
of these organs, are two bands, one above,
the other below ; the upper one consisting
of fibres running lengthwise, and the under
one of others running crosswise. The lat-
ter continues itself in the organ by means
of a great number of little tubes, which are
hollow ; some of them are six-sided, others
five-sided, others four-sided : each of these
little tubes is divided in the inside into a
number of smaller parts, connected by blood-
vessels. In each of the organs, which, as I
have said previously, run down the two
sides of the torpedo from the head to the
lower part of the stomach, from two hun-
dred to twelve hundred of theso tubes have
been counted, according to the different size

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 189

and age of the animal. The torpedo has
all these numerous tubes, which may be
compared to long rows of vials charged
with electric matter, with which they make
attacks. Almost always concealed in the
mud, like most of the Rays, they can by
these weapons kill the small fishes that
come within the sphere of their action, or
benumb the large ones ; if they are in dan-
ger of attack from any voracious fish, they
can disable him by invisible blows, more
to be dreaded than are the teeth of the
shark itself. The gymnotus, or electric
eel, is a still more tremendous assailant,
both of the inhabitants of its own element,
and even of large quadrupeds, and of man
himself, if he puts himself in its way. Its
force is said to be ten times greater than
that of the torpedo. This animal is a na-
tive of South America. In the immense
plains of the Llanos in the province of
Caraccas, is a city called Calaboza, in the
neighborhood of which, these eels abound
in small streams, insomuch that a road for-
merly much frequented, was abandoned on

190 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

account of them, it being necessary to cross
a rivulet, in which many mules were lost
annually by reason of their attacks. They
are very common in ponds, from the equa-
tor to the ninth degree of north latitude.
Contrary to what takes place in the torpedo,
the electric organs of the gymnotus are
placed under the tail, in a place removed
from the vital ones. It has four of these
organs, two large and two small, which oc-
cupy a third of the whole fish. These four
are subdivided into many small parts, thirty-
four having been counted in one of the
large, and fourteen in one of the smaller
organs. It is by this vast fourfold appara-
tus that the animal is able to inflict its vio-
lent shocks. Humboldt tells us that from
placing his two feet on one of these fishes
just taken out of the water, he received a
shock more violent and alarming than any
he ever experienced from the discharge of
a large electric jar ; and for the rest of the
day he felt an acute pain in his knees and
almost all his joints. Such a shock he
thinks, if the animal passed over the breast

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 191

or stomach, might be mortal. It is stated
that when the animal is touched with only-
one hand, the shock is very slight ; but
when two hands are applied at a sufficient
distance, a shock is sometimes given so
powerful as to affect the arms with a paraly-
sis for many years. Humboldt gives a very
spirited account of the manner of taking
this animal, which is done by compelling
twenty or thirty wild horses and mules to
take the water. The Indians surround the
basin into which they are driven, armed
with long canes ; some mount the trees
whose branches hang over the water, all
endeavoring by their cries and canes to
keep the horses from escaping ; for a long
time the victory seems doubtful, or to in-
cline to the fishes. The mules, disabledby
the frequency and force of the shocks, dis-
appear under the water ; and some horses,
in spite of the active vigilance of the In-
dians gain the banks, and overcome by fa-
tigue, and benumbed by the shocks which
they have received, stretch themselves at
their length on the gre vid. There could

192 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

not, says Humboldt, be a finer subject for a
painter ; groups of Indians surrounding
the basin ; the horses, with their hair on
end, and terror and agony in their eyes,
endeavoring to escape the tempest that has
overtaken them; the eels, yellowish and
livid, looking like great aquatic serpents,
swimming on the surface of the water in
pursuit of the enemy. In a few minutes
two horses were drowned ; the eel, more
than five feet long, gliding under the bodies
of the animals, made a discharge of the
electric matter on the whole extent, attack-
ing at the moment the heart, and the other
vital parts. The animals, stupified by these
repeated shocks, fell into a profound stupor,
and deprived of all sense, sank under the
water, when the other horses and mules
passing over their bodies they were soon
drowned. The eels h uvinsr thus discharged
the quantity of the electric fluid collected
in them, then became harmless, and were
no longer objects of dread. Swimming half
out of the water, they then flee from the
horses instead of attacking them ; and it

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 193

they enter the water the day after the bat-
tle they are not molested, for these fishes
require repose and plenty of food to enable
them to collect again a supply of electric
matter. It is probable that they can act at
a distance, and that they can inflict a shock
through a thick mass of water. It is even
asserted that they can do this when the
object of their attack is removed from them
so far as sixteen feet. There is another
little fish of a very different tribe, which
emulates the electric ones in bringing its
prey within reach, by discharging a grosser
element at them. It belongs to a genus,
the different species of which are remarka-
ble for the singularity of their forms, the
brilliancy of their colors, and the vivacity
of their movements. The species I allude
to may be called the fly-shooter, from its
food being principally flies and other in-
sects, especially those that frequent aquatic
plants and places. These, as Sir Charles
Bell relates, shoot their prey, as it were,
with a drop of water.' " — Kirby.

The little girls had entered so completely
17

1&4 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

into the spirit of the author's narrative, that
by the time their uncle had concluded
reading it, they had drawn their seats close
to him, as if they too feared an attack from
these concealed foes, and were desirous of
ensuring his protection.

"Dear uncle," observed Emma, "I felt
at first almost sorry when you told us that
you intended to choose fishes for the sub-
ject that you were going to talk to us about,
and I thought they were among the last
things that I should have fixed on ; but
now I am very glad that you did not let
me select for myself, for I am sure I could
not have found any thing that interested
me more, particularly the account of these
electric fishes."

"It should convince you, Emma," re-
plied Mr. Benson, " that all the < works of
the Lord are great,' and worthy of being
searched into by all His people. < All of
them,' as Mr. Kirby justly observes, c in
their several stations, and by their several
operations, glorify their almighty Author,
by fulfilling His will. You have heard of

A VISIT TO NAHANT. 195

many ' wonders of the deep' this summer
since your visit to Nahant, and you have
mentioned many more that were related to
you, during your former visit to the sea-
shore, by your excellent mother and old
Robert ;* I trust that the impression thus
made, will not readily be effaced, but on the
contrary, may be the means of leading you
still further in your researches into the
temple of truth, the two doors of entrance
into which, have been said to lie, one in the
works of God, and the other in His word."
When the hour came which was to be
the signal of the departure of the Stanley
family from the roof of the hospitable Mr.
Benson, it found them all reconciled to their
separation, from the thoughts of its being
so short a time before they would re-assem-
ble again in Boston to constitute a united
family. Agreeably to this plan, when De-
cember arrived they were comfortably fixed
in their new residence. The day was
spent by Edward in his uncle's counting-
house, and by the little girls in the school-

* For the account of these, see " Wonders of the Deep."

196 A VISIT TO NAHANT.

room with their excellent mother ; but
when night closed in, the happy family as-
sembled in Mr. Benson's comfortable par-
lor, and the hours rolled by rapidly, while
the females of the party were engaged with
their needle, and while Mr. Benson and
Edward alternately read to them some
agreeable or instructive book.

BEAUTIFUL JUVENILE BOOKS.

Clje |0D attfr f l)e Jirta.

BY EMILY TAYLOR

WITH TWENTY-FIVE BEAUTIFUL ENGRAVINGS.

ffifjt'eflg from Hantism'g JBwtijrts.

(25)

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(26)

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[Richards' Weekly Gazette.

BY EMILY TAYLOR.

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[ Utica Gospel Messenger.

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They are truly elegant gift books."

[American Spectator.

(27)

BEAUTIFUL JUVENILE BOOKS.

Jjelen Morton's trial.

BY MRS. ALICE B. NEAL.

WITH TWO FINE ENGRAVINGS.

(28)

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BY COUSIN ALICE.

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[ The Protestant Churchman,
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OR

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["You'll water my Geranium, Nannie dear, when I'm gone." ]

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(30)

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[Protestant Churchman.

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[ Utica Gospel Messenger.

" Cameron Masten is a very well told story, in style
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[The Calendar.

(32)

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