and she was not only her bright
cheerful little self once more, but full of a project for adding to her
collection a specimen of the `sea cucumber,' which the Captain had told
her she might find if she only hunted diligently enough.

These strange marine animals belong to a species of `Triple Alliance' of
their own, being connected in a greater or less degree with the
anemones, the ringworms, and the `sea urchins'; albeit, the sea
cucumbers possess one very great advantage over these cousins of theirs,
in being able, when they so please, to turn themselves inside out and
dispense with their stomachs, as well as what would be considered other
equally necessary portions of their corporate frames.

When in this transformed, or `turn-coat' stage of his existence, the
animal consists only of an empty bag, or pocket, that has at the
broadest end an apparently useless mouth, but which he still continues
to make use of for feeding purposes; and, by and by, when my gentleman
feels disposed to return to his original state, seemingly by the mere
effort of will, his tentacles sprout out one by one, the mouth-end of
his bag becomes surmounted by a sort of mushroom head, his interior
person gets filled up, and the sea cucumber is himself again, "all a-
taunto!"

The Captain had advised Nellie to search amongst the old wooden piles of
the pier, as a likely situation to find these animals, and others he
named quite as curious, such as the `beroe' and the `balanus,' which
while looking as if inanimate yet are `all alive,' and, if not
`kicking,' certainly may be seen fishing, either with natural lines of
their own or with a sort of trawl-net, very similar to which we human
bipeds use.

But, although Miss Nellie, with Dick acting under her directions and
Bob, too, assisting in a desultory way when the superior attractions of
crab-hunting on his own account did not beguile him from the pursuit,
all hunted everywhere, finding every variety of young whelks, cockles,
and other shell-fish ova on the pier-piles, which they were able to
examine at their pleasure, it being low tide, no sea cucumbers to be
seen anywhere.

Nellie was in despair at her failure and felt almost inclined to cry;
but, Dick at the last moment, when the search was just about to be given
up, raked out a perfect specimen from a hole in the rock-work beneath
one of the buttresses that was nearly awash with the water--a darksome
dungeon, isolated from the vulgar herd o