But to descend from these perhaps too daring speculations， there is another， and more human， source of interest about the animal who is writhing feebly in the glass jar of salt water； for he is one of the many curiosities which have been added to our fauna by that humble hero Mr. Charles Peach， the self-taught naturalist， of whom， as we walk on toward the rocks， something should be said， or rather read； for Mr. Chambers， in an often-quoted passage from his Edinburgh Journal， which I must have the pleasure of quoting once again， has told the story better than we can tell it：-"But who is that little intelligent-looking man in a faded naval uniform， who is so invariably to be seen in a particular central seat in this section？ That， gentle reader， is perhaps one of the most interesting men who attend the British Association. He is only a private in the mounted guard (preventive service) at an obscure part of the Cornwall coast， with four shillings a day， and a wife and nine children， most of whose education he has himself to conduct. He never tastes the luxuries which are so common in the middle ranks of life， and even amongst a large portion of the working classes. He has to mend with his own hands every sort of thing that can break or wear in his house. Yet Mr. Peach is a votary of Natural History； not a student of the science in books， for he cannot afford books； but an investigator by sea and shore， a collector of Zoophytes and Echinodermata - strange creatures， many of which are as yet hardly known to man. These he collects， preserves， and describes； and every year does he come up to the British Association with a few novelties of this kind， accompanied by illustrative papers and drawings： thus， under circumstances the very opposite of those of such men as Lord Enniskillen， adding， in like manner， to the general stock of knowledge. On the present occasion he is unusually elated， for he has made the discovery of a Holothuria with twenty tentacula， a species of the Echinodermata which Professor Forbes， in his book on Star-Fishes， has said was never yet observed in the British seas. It may be of small moment to you， who， mayhap， know nothing of Holothurias： but it is a considerable thing to the Fauna of Britain， and a vast matter to a poor private of the Cornwall mounted guard. And accordingly he will go home in a few days， full of the glory of his exhibition， and strong anew by the kind notice taken of him by the masters of the science， to similar inquiries， difficult as it may be to prosecute them， under such a complication of duties， professional and domestic. Honest Peach！ humble as is thy home， and ****** thy bearing， thou art an honour even to this assemblage of nobles and doctors： nay， more， when we consider everything， thou art an honour to human nature itself； for where is the heroism like that of virtuous， intelligent， independent poverty？ And such heroism is thine！" - CHAMBERS' EDIN. JOURN.， Nov. 23， 1844.
Mr. Peach has been since rewarded in part for his long labours in the cause of science， by having been removed to a more lucrative post on the north coast of Scotland； the earnest， it is to be hoped， of still further promotion.
I mentioned just now Synapta； or， as Montagu called it， Chirodota：
a much better name， and， I think， very uselessly changed； for Chirodota expresses the peculiarity of the beast， which consists in - start not， reader - twelve hands， like human hands， while Synapta expresses merely its power of clinging to the fingers， which it possesses in common with many other animals. It is， at least， a beast worth talking about； as for finding one， I fear that we have no chance of such good fortune.
Colonel Montagu found them here some forty years ago； and after him， Mr. Alder， in 1845. I found hundreds of them， but only once， in 1854 after a heavy south-eastern gale， washed up among the great Lutrariae in a cove near Goodrington； but all my dredging outside failed to procure a specimen - Mr. Alder， however， and Mr. Cocks (who find everything， and will at last certainly catch Midgard， the great sea-serpent， as Thor did， by baiting for him with a bull's head)， have dredged them in great numbers； the former， at Helford in Cornwall， the latter on the west coast of Scotland. It seems， however， to be a southern monster， probably a remnant， like the great cockle， of the Mediterranean fauna； for Mr. MacAndrew finds them plentifully in Vigo Bay， and J. M乴ler in the Adriatic， off Trieste.
But what is it like？ Conceive a very fat short earth-worm； not ringed， though， like the earth-worm， but smooth and glossy， dappled with darker spots， especially on one side， which may be the upper one. Put round its mouth twelve little arms， on each a hand with four ragged fingers， and on the back of the hand a stump of a thumb， and you have Synapta Digitata (Plates IV. and V.， from my drawings of the live animal). These hands it puts down to its mouth， generally in alternate pairs， but how it obtains its food by them is yet a mystery， for its intestines are filled， like an earth-worm's， with the mud in which it lives， and from which it probably extracts (as does the earth-worm) all organic matters.
