What do you think of a living thing like this?
This is a polypier, and its particular name is the _fungia_ being so
called because it resembles a vegetable fungus. The animal lives
inside of that circular shell, which is formed something like the
under side of a toad-stool. Between the thin plates, or leaves, the
polypier thrusts out its arms with little suckers at the ends. With
these it seizes its food and conveys it to its mouth, which is
situated at the centre of its body.
[Illustration]
But there are more strange fish in the sea than we can ever mention,
and the strange fish are by no means the most profitable. Still there
is a pleasure in fishing, no matter what we pull up.
The greatest fishers in the world are fish. The Whale will catch, in
the course of a day, enough herring to last a family for many years,
and in all the rivers and oceans and lakes, fishing is going on so
constantly and extensively that the efforts of man in that direction
seem ridiculous, by contrast.
[Illustration]
The Tunny, a large fish, measuring from two to five feet in ordinary
length, is a great fisher. He, like the Whale, is fond of herrings,
and he likes them fresh, not salt, smoked, or pickled.
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