In
Turning Down The Edges, It Actually Punched Many Small
Holes Quite Through The Tin!
I was a good deal surprised by finding two species of
coral of the genus Millepora (M. complanata and alcicornis),
possessed of the power of stinging.
The stony branches or
plates, when taken fresh from the water, have a harsh feel
and are not slimy, although possessing a strong and disagreeable
smell. The stinging property seems to vary in
different specimens: when a piece was pressed or rubbed on
the tender skin of the face or arm, a pricking sensation was
usually caused, which came on after the interval of a second,
and lasted only for a few minutes. One day, however, by
merely touching my face with one of the branches, pain was
instantaneously caused; it increased as usual after a few
seconds, and remaining sharp for some minutes, was perceptible
for half an hour afterwards. The sensation was as
bad as that from a nettle, but more like that caused by the
Physalia or Portuguese man-of-war. Little red spots were
produced on the tender skin of the arm, which appeared as if
they would have formed watery pustules, but did not. M.
Quoy mentions this case of the Millepora; and I have heard
of stinging corals in the West Indies. Many marine animals
seem to have this power of stinging: besides the Portuguese
man-of-war, many jelly-fish, and the Aplysia or sea-slug
of the Cape de Verd Islands, it is stated in the voyage
of the Astrolabe, that an Actinia or sea-anemone, as well as
a flexible coralline allied to Sertularia, both possess this
means of offence or defence. 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:
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