Three generations

2 4 o THE THIRD GENERATION
warted sea-anemones — a feature of the locality. They
were much larger, and offered a greater variety of
brilliant colouring than was to be found in the more
common olive or red anemones. We had in their
company a mussel and an oyster, several star-fish,
crabs and soldier crabs, shrimps, a stone covered with
living serpulae, etc. We were only able to acquire
and retain for six weeks one small fish proper, with a
head and a tail, fins and scales. I think he was one of
the fish known by the name of "John Dory." I have
not forgotten the pang with which we found him dead,
jammed between the stones, where he had forced
himself in a panic. It was a punishment for our
thoughtlessness in exhibiting our sea spoil by candle-
light to an admiring visitor.
We had a sea-creature very like a bit of orange peel,
with a tuft of what may be described as feathers at
the one end and a pair of horns at the other. This
Doris by name was a harmless, peaceable being,
minding its own business, which was, as far as we
could see, to move round and round the jar near the
surface of the water, and then drop in a coil to the
bottom. Another bristling black and white little
object, which we rashly admitted without investiga-
tion within the precincts, forthwith dealt death all
around. This proved to be an seolis — a bloodthirsty
wretch which fastened on the anemones and sucked
their life-blood, costing us some of the most valued
and rarest of our red and white, primrose and white,
lilac and white beauties. A trochus, on the contrary,
was level-headed and useful. He had the privilege of
living in a silver shell, and he was not too proud to
do his duty faithfully. This was to circle like the
Doris round the jar, and in doing so to use his tongue