glaucus-第7章

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maintained　by　Mr。　Pengelly　and　Mr。　Gosse；　the　latter　of　whom　by　his　

delightful　and；　happily；　well…known　books　has　done　more　for　the　

study　of　marine　zoology　than　any　other　living　man。　　Torbay；　

moreover；　from　the　variety　of　its　rocks；　aspects；　and　sea…floors；　

where　limestones　alternate　with　traps；　and　traps　with　slates；　while　

at　the　valley…mouth　the　soft　sandstones　and　hard　conglomerates　of　

the　new　red　series　slope　down　into　the　tepid　and　shallow　waves；　

affords　an　abundance　and　variety　of　animal　and　vegetable　life；　

unequalled；　perhaps；　in　any　other　part　of　Great　Britain。　　It　cannot　

boast；　certainly；　of　those　strange　deep…sea　forms　which　Messrs。　　

Alder；　Goodsir；　and　Laskey　dredge　among　the　lochs　of　the　western　

Highlands；　and　the　sub…marine　mountain　glens　of　the　Zetland　sea；　

but　it　has　its　own　varieties；　its　own　ever…fresh　novelties：　　and　in　

spite　of　all　the　research　which　has　been　lavished　on　its　shores；　a　

naturalist　cannot；　I　suspect；　work　there　for　a　winter　without　

discovering　forms　new　to　science；　or　meeting　with　curiosities　which　

have　escaped　all　observers；　since　the　lynx　eye　of　Montagu　espied　

them　full　fifty　years　ago。



Follow　us；　then；　reader；　in　imagination；　out　of　the　gay　watering…

place；　with　its　London　shops　and　London　equipages；　along　the　broad　

road　beneath　the　sunny　limestone　cliff；　tufted　with　golden　furze；　

past　the　huge　oaks　and　green　slopes　of　Tor　Abbey；　and　past　the　

fantastic　rocks　of　Livermead；　scooped　by　the　waves　into　a　labyrinth　

of　double　and　triple　caves；　like　Hindoo　temples；　upborne　on　pillars　

banded　with　yellow　and　white　and　red；　a　week's　study；　in　form　and　

colour　and　chiaro…oscuro；　for　any　artist；　and　a　mile　or　so　further　

along　a　pleasant　road；　with　land…locked　glimpses　of　the　bay；　to　the　

broad　sheet　of　sand　which　lies　between　the　village　of　Paignton　and　

the　sea　…　sands　trodden　a　hundred　times　by　Montagu　and　Turton；　

perhaps；　by　Dillwyn　and　Gaertner；　and　many　another　pioneer　of　

science。　　And　once　there；　before　we　look　at　anything　else；　come　

down　straight　to　the　sea　marge；　for　yonder　lies；　just　left　by　the　

retiring　tide；　a　mass　of　life　such　as　you　will　seldom　see　again。　　

It　is　somewhat　ugly；　perhaps；　at　first　sight；　for　ankle…deep　are　

spread；　for　some　ten　yards　long　by　five　broad；　huge　dirty　bivalve　

shells；　as　large　as　the　hand；　each　with　its　loathly　grey　and　black　

siphons　hanging　out；　a　confused　mass　of　slimy　death。　　Let　us　walk　

on　to　some　cleaner　heap；　and　leave　these；　the　great　Lutraria　

Elliptica；　which　have　been　lying　buried　by　thousands　in　the　sandy　

mud；　each　with　the　point　of　its　long　siphon　above　the　surface；　

sucking　in　and　driving　out　again　the　salt　water　on　which　it　feeds；　

till　last　night's　ground…swell　shifted　the　sea…bottom；　and　drove　

them　up　hither　to　perish　helpless；　but　not　useless；　on　the　beach。



See；　close　by　is　another　shell　bed；　quite　as　large；　but　comely　

enough　to　please　any　eye。　　What　a　variety　of　forms　and　colours　are　

there；　amid　the　purple　and　olive　wreaths　of　wrack；　and　bladder…

weed；　and　tangle　（ore…weed；　as　they　call　it　in　the　south）；　and　the　

delicate　green　ribbons　of　the　Zostera　（the　only　English　flowering　

plant　which　grows　beneath　the　sea）。　　What　are　they　all？　　What　are　

the　long　white　razors？　　What　are　the　delicate　green…grey　scimitars？　　

What　are　the　tapering　brown　spires？　　What　the　tufts　of　delicate　

yellow　plants　like　squirrels'　tails；　and　lobsters'　horns；　and　

tamarisks；　and　fir…trees；　and　all　other　finely　cut　animal　and　

vegetable　forms？　　What　are　the　groups　of　grey　bladders；　with　

something　like　a　little　bud　at　the　tip？　　What　are　the　hundreds　of　

little　pink…striped　pears？　　What　those　tiny　babies'　heads；　covered　

with　grey　prickles　instead　of　hair？　　The　great　red　star…fish；　which　

Ulster　children　call　〃the　bad　man's　hands；〃　and　the　great　whelks；　

which　the　youth　of　Musselburgh　know　as　roaring　buckies；　these　we　

have　seen　before；　but　what；　oh　what；　are　the　red　capsicums？　…



Yes；　what　are　the　red　capsicums？　and　why　are　they　poking；　snapping；　

starting；　crawling；　tumbling　wildly　over　each　other；　rattling　about　

the　huge　mahogany　cockles；　as　big　as　a　child's　two　fists；　out　of　

which　they　are　protruded？　　Mark　them　well；　for　you　will　perhaps　

never　see　them　again。　　They　are　a　Mediterranean　species；　or　rather　

three　species；　left　behind　upon　these　extreme　south…western　coasts；　

probably　at　the　vanishing　of　that　warmer　ancient　epoch；　which　

clothed　the　Lizard　Point　with　the　Cornish　heath；　and　the　Killarney　

mountains　with　Spanish　saxifrages；　and　other　relics　of　a　flora　

whose　home　is　now　the　Iberian　peninsula　and　the　sunny　cliffs　of　the　

Riviera。　　Rare　on　every　other　shore；　even　in　the　west；　it　abounds　

in　Torbay　at　certain；　or　rather　uncertain；　times；　to　so　prodigious　

an　amount；　that　the　dredge；　after　five　minutes'　scrape；　will　

sometimes　come　up　choked　full　of　this　great　cockle　only。　　You　will　

see　hundreds　of　them　in　every　cove　for　miles　this　day；　a　seeming　

waste　of　life；　which　would　be　awful；　in　our　eyes；　were　not　the　

Divine　Ruler；　as　His　custom　is；　making　this　destruction　the　means　

of　fresh　creation；　by　burying　them　in　the　sands；　as　soon　as　washed　

on　shore；　to　fertilize　the　strata　of　some　future　world。　　It　is　but　

a　shell…fish　truly；　but　the　great　Cuvier　thought　it　remarkable　

enough　to　devote　to　its　anatomy　elaborate　descriptions　and　

drawings；　which　have　done　more　perhaps　than　any　others　to　

illustrate　the　curious　economy　of　the　whole　class　of　bivalve；　or　

double…shelled；　mollusca。　　（Plate　II。　Fig。　3。）



That　red　capsicum　is　the　foot　of　the　animal　contained　in　the　

cockleshell。　　By　its　aid　it　crawls；　leaps；　and　burrows　in　the　sand；　

where　it　lies　drinking　in　the　salt　water　through　one　of　its　

siphons；　and　discharging　it　again　through　the　other。　　Put　the　shell　

into　a　rock　pool；　or　a　basin　of　water；　and　you　will　see　the　siphons　

clearly。　　The　valves　gape　apart　some　three…quarters　of　an　inch。　　

The　semi…pellucid　orange　〃mantle〃　fills　the　intermediate　space。　　

Through　that　mantle；　at　the　end　from　which　the　foot　curves；　the　

siphons　protrude；　two　thick　short　tubes　joined　side　by　side；　their　

lips　fringed　with　pearly　cirri；　or　fringes；　and　very　beautiful　they　

are。　　The　larger　is　always　open；　taking　in　the　water；　which　is　at　

once　the　animal's　food　and　air；　and　which；　flowing　over　the　

delicate　inner　surface　of　the　mantle；　at　once　oxygenates　its　blood；　

and　fills　its　stomach　with　minute　particles　of　decayed　organized　

matter。　　The　smaller　is　shut。　　Wait　a　minute；　and　it　will　open　

suddenly　and　discharge　a　jet　of　clear　water；　which　has　been　robbed；　

I　suppose；　of　its　oxygen　and　its　organic　matter。　　But；　I　suppose；　

your　eyes　will　be　rather　attracted　by　that　same　scarlet　and　orange　

foot；　which　is　being　drawn　in　and　thrust　out　to　a　length　of　nearly　

four　inches；　striking　with　its　point　against　any　opposing　object；　

and　sending　the　whole　shell　backwards　with　a　jerk。　　The　point；　you　

see；　is　sharp　and　tongue…like；　only　flattened；　not　horizontally；　

like　a　tongue；　but　perpendicularly；　so　as　to　form；　as　it　was　

intended；　a　perfect　sand…plough；　by　which　the　animal　can　move　at　

will；　either　above　or　below　the　surface　of　the　sand。　（2）



But　for　colour　and　shape；　to　what　shall　we　compare　it？　　To　polished　

cornelian；　says　Mr。　Gosse。　　I　say；　to　one　of　the　great　red　

capsicums　which　hang　drying　in　every　Covent…garden　seedsman's　

window。　　Yet　is　either　simile　better　than　the　guess　of　a　certain　

lady；　who；　entering　a　room　wherein　a　couple　of　Cardium　tuberculatum　

were　waltzing　about　a　plate；　exclaimed；　〃Oh　dear！　　I　always　heard　

that　my　pretty　red　coral　came　out　of　a　fish；　and　here　it　is　all　

alive！〃



〃C。　tuberculatum；〃　says　Mr。　Gosse　（who　described　it　from　specimens　

which　I　sent　him　in　1854）；　〃is　far　the　finest　species。　　The　valves　

are　more　globose　and　of　a　warmer　colour；　those　that　I　have　seen　are　

even　more　spinous。〃　　Such　may　have　been　the　case　in　those　I　sent：　　

but　it　has　occurred　to　me　now　and　then　to　dredge　specimens　of　C。　

aculeatum；　which　had　escaped　that　rolling　on　the　sand　fatal　in　old　

age　to　its　delicate　spines；　and　which　equalled　in　colour；　size；　and　

perfectness　the　noble　one　figured　in　poor　dear　old　Dr。　Turton's　

〃British　Bivalves。〃　　Besides；　aculeatum　is　a　far　thinner　and　more　

delicate　shell。　　And　a　third　species；　C。　echinatum；　with　curves　

more　graceful　and　continuous；　is　to　be　found　now　and　then　with　the　

two　former。　　In　it；　each　point；　instead　of　degenerating　into　a　

knot；　as　in　tuberculatum；　or　developing　from　delicate　flat　briar…

prickles　into　long　straight　thorns；　as　in　aculeatum；　is　close…set　

to　its　fellow；　and　curved　at　the　point　transversely　to　the　shell；　

the　whole　being　thus　horrid　with　hundreds　of　strong　tenterhooks；　

making　his　castle　impregnable　to　the　raveners　of　the　deep。　　For　we　

can　hardly　doubt　that　these　prickles　are　meant　as　weapons　of　

defence；　without　which　so　savoury　a　morsel　as　the　mollusc　within　

（cooked　and　eaten　largely　on　some　parts　of　our　south　coast）　would　

be　a　staple　article　of　food　for　sea…beasts　of　prey。　　And　it　is　

noteworthy；　first；　that　the　defensive　thorns　which　are　permanent　on　

the　two　thinner　species；　aculeatum　and　echinatum；　disappear　

altogether　on　the　thicker　one；　tuberculatum；　as　old　age　gives　him　a　

solid　and　heavy　globose　shell；　and　next；　that　he　too；　while　young　

and　tender；　and　liable　therefore　to　be　bored　through　by　whelks　and　

such　murderous　univalves；　does　actually　possess　the　same　briar…

prickles；　which　his　thinner　cousins　keep　throughout　life。　　

Nevertheless；　prickles；　in　all　three　species；　are；　as　far　as　we　can　

see；　useless　in　Torbay；　where　no　wolf…fish　（Anarrhichas　lupus）　or　

other　owner　of　shell…crushing　jaws　wanders；　terrible　to　lobster　and　

to　cockle。　　Originally　intended；　as　we　suppose；　to　face　the　strong…

toothed　monsters　of　the　Mediterranean；　these　foreigners　have　

wandered　northward　to　shores　where　their　armour　is　not　now　needed；　

and　yet　centuries　of　idleness　and　security　have　not　been　able　to　

persuade　them　to　lay　it　by。　　This　…　if　my　explanation　is　the　right　

one　…　is　but　one　more　case　among　hundreds　in　which　peculiarities；　

useful　doubtless　to　their　original　possessors；　remain；　though　now　

useless；　in　their　descendants。　　Just　so　does　the　tame　ram　inherit　

the　now　superfluous　horns　of　his　primeval　wild　ancestors；　though　he　

fights　now　…　if　he　fights　at　all　…　not　with　his　horns；　but　with　his　

forehead。



Enough　of　Cardium　tuberculatum。　　Now　for　the　other　animals　of　the　

heap；　and　first；　for　those　long　white　razors。　　They；　as　well　as　the　

grey　scimitars；　are　Solens；　Razor…fish　（Solen　siliqua　and　S。　

ensis）；　burrowers　in　the　sand　by　that　foot　which　protrudes　from　one　

end；　nimble　in　escaping　from　the　Torquay　boys；　whom　you　will　see　

boring　for　them　with　a　long　iron　screw；　on　the　sands　at　low　tide。　　

They　are　very　good　to　eat；　these　razor…fish；　at　least；　for　those　

who　so　th