mud. He adds, "The Indians often find enormous boas, which they call
Uji or water serpents, in the same lethargic state. To reanimate them,
they must be irritated or wetted with water."
I will only mention one other animal, a zoophyte (I believe Virgularia
Patagonica), a kind of sea-pen. It consists of a thin, straight,
fleshy stem, with alternate rows of polypi on each side, and
surrounding an elastic stony axis, varying in length from eight inches
to two feet. The stem at one extremity is truncate, but at the other
is terminated by a vermiform fleshy appendage. The stony axis which
gives strength to the stem may be traced at this extremity into a mere
vessel filled with granular matter. At low water hundreds of these
zoophytes might be seen, projecting like stubble, with the truncate end
upwards, a few inches above the surface of the muddy sand. When
touched or pulled they suddenly drew themselves in with force, so as
nearly or quite to disappear. By this action, the highly elastic axis
must be bent at the lower extremity, where it is naturally slightly
curved; and I imagine it is by this elasticity alone that the zoophyte
is enabled to rise again through the mud. Each polypus, though closely
united to its brethren, has a distinct mouth, body, and tentacula. Of
these polypi, in a large specimen, there must be many thousands; yet we
see that they act by one movement: they have also one central axis
connected with a system of obscure circulation, and the ova are
produced in an organ distinct from the separate individuals. [19] Well
may one be allowed to ask, what is an individual? It is always
interesting to discover the foundation of the strange tales of the old
voyagers; and I have no doubt but that the habits of this Virgularia
explain one such case. Captain Lancaster, in his voyage [20] in 1601,
narrates that on the sea-sands of the Island of Sombrero, in the East
Indies, he "found a small twig growing up like a young tree, and on
offering to pluck it up it shrinks down to the ground, and sinks,
unless held very hard. On being plucked up, a great worm is found to
be its root, and as the tree groweth in greatness, so doth the worm
diminish, and as soon as the worm is entirely turned into a tree it
rooteth in the earth, and so becomes great. This transformation is one
of the strangest wonders that I saw in all my travels: for if this tree
is plucked up, while young, and the leaves and bark stripped off, it
becomes a hard stone when dry, much like white coral: thus is this worm
twice transformed into different natures. Of these we gathered and
brought home many."
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