Glaucus; Or, The Wonders of the Shore

From the opening

I CANNOT forego the pleasure of dedicating this little book to you; excepting of course the opening exhortation (needless enough in your case) to those who have not yet discovered the value of Natural History. Accept it as a memorial of pleasant hours spent by us already, and as an earnest, I trust, of pleasant hours to be spent hereafter (perhaps, too, beyond this life in the nobler world to come), in examining together the works of our Father in heaven.

The basis of this little book was an Article which appeared in the North British Review for November 1854.

BEYOND the shadow of the ship, I watch’d the water snakes: They moved in tracks of shining white, And when they rear’d, the elfish light Fell off in hoary flakes.

O happy living things! no tongue Their beauty might declare: A spring of love gush’d from my heart, And I bless’d them unware.

WOOD ENGRAVINGS. FIG. PAGE 1. Nymphon Abyssorum, NORMAN 81 2. Caprella spinosissima, NORMAN 83 3. Pentacrinus asteria, LINNÆUS 85 COLOURED PLATES. PLATE 1. 1. FLUSTRA LINEATA; (a) enlarged with polypes 73 protruding. 2. FLUSTRA FOLIACEA. 3. VALKERIA CUSCUTA; (a) natural size; (b) two tentacles; (c) tentacles bent inwards; (d) enlarged, showing the gradual eversion of the animal. 4. CRISIA DENTICULATA; (a) natural size. 5. GEMELLARIA LORIOATA; (a) natural size. 6. SERTULARIA ROSEA; (a) natural size. 7. CELLULARIA CILIATA; (a) natural size; (b) one of the bird’s heads; (c) cell and bird’s head, much enlarged. 8. CAMPANULARIA SYRINGA; (a) natural size. 9. CAMPANULARIA VOLUBILIS, enlarged. 10. SERIALARIA LENDIGERA. 11. NOTAMIA BURSARIA; (a) natural size; (b) two pairs of polype cells with the tobacco pipe appendages 2. 1. CARDIUM RUSTICUM, (TUBERCULATUM). 2. PAGURUS 65 BERNHARDI, in a Periwinkle Shell 3. 1. NEMERTIES BORLASII. 2. SABELLA? 3. 136 Sand-tube of TEREBELLA CONCHILEGA (See Plate 8) 4. 1. SYNAPTA DIGITATA; (a) Ditto separating and 109 throwing out capsuliferous threads. 2. THALASSIMA NEPTUNI 5. 1. BALANOPHYLLEA REGIA, expanded; (a) Ditto, 117 contracted; (b) Ditto coral; (c) Ditto, tentacle enlarged; 2.

A short sample. Read the whole book

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