The sea-eggs are scattered over the first nine tables (1-9) in the
room. They live on small animals and sea-weed. The varieties include a
flat kind, vulgarly called sea-pancakes. The remaining cases of the
room are loaded with varieties of the star-fish. The mouth of the
star-fish is on its lower side, through which it takes its food. It
has innumerable feet, which it displays when in the water, and by
means of which it can climb rocks. Some of the varieties fall to
pieces on being taken from their native element, as the lizard, or
brittle star-fish. The gorgon's head, which has innumerable branches
from its central part, should be observed by the visitor; and the
sea-wigs, which are a kind of star-fish, somewhat resembling the
gorgon's head, with innumerable radii. They are placed upon table 24,
near a cast of a stem and flower, that has the appearance of a fossil
plant, but is in reality a cast of a crinoid star-fish that once
existed in great abundance. In the most eastern room of this gallery
are a few tables upon which are deposited the shells and tubes of
molluscous animals, to illustrate their changes, and the way in which
the animal adapts them to his position. The third and fourth tables
will, perhaps, interest the general visitor. Here he will find
specimens exhibiting the growth of Shells, and also how the animal
repairs any damage to its shell. Here, too, are the shells upon which
the modern cameo-cutters of Rome, work. As the visitor will perceive,
the design is engraved in relief upon the light outer layers of the
shell, leaving the darker under part exposed, as a back-ground.
The visitor's way now lies out of the northern gallery, by its eastern
door, near which he should notice a remarkable sun fish, of a bulky
and squat appearance. Having regained the first, or most northerly
room of the great eastern zoological gallery, the visitor should turn
to the south, examining the table cases of this gallery as he returns
through its spacious rooms. All the table cases of this gallery, with
the exception of a few small side tables, are covered with the vast
varieties of the