In The East Indian Sea, A
Stinging Sea-Weed Is Said To Be Found.
Two species of fish, of the genus Scarus, which are common
here, exclusively feed on coral:
Both are coloured of a
splendid bluish-green, one living invariably in the lagoon,
and the other amongst the outer breakers. Mr. Liesk assured
us, that he had repeatedly seen whole shoals grazing with
their strong bony jaws on the tops of the coral branches: I
opened the intestines of several, and found them distended
with yellowish calcareous sandy mud. The slimy disgusting
Holuthuriae (allied to our star-fish), which the Chinese
gourmands are so fond of, also feed largely, as I am informed by
Dr. Allan, on corals; and the bony apparatus within their
bodies seems well adapted for this end. These Holuthuriae,
the fish, the numerous burrowing shells, and nereidous
worms, which perforate every block of dead coral, must be
very efficient agents in producing the fine white mud which
lies at the bottom and on the shores of the lagoon. A portion,
however, of this mud, which when wet resembled
pounded chalk, was found by Professor Ehrenberg to be
partly composed of siliceous-shielded infusoria.
April 12th. - In the morning we stood out of the lagoon
on our passage to the Isle of France. I am glad we have
visited these islands: such formations surely rank high
amongst the wonderful objects of this world. Captain Fitz
Roy found no bottom with a line 7200 feet in length, at the
distance of only 2200 yards from the shore; hence this island
forms a lofty submarine mountain, with sides steeper even
than those of the most abrupt volcanic cone.
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