But even this common feature is not everywhere part of the
food-instinct. The sea-cucumber (_Cucumaria_) (Fig. 31), according to
the observations made on it by Eisig in the Aquarium of the Zoological
Station at Naples, gets its food in the following manner. The animal
sits half or entirely erect on a projecting piece of rock and unfolds
its ten tree-like tentacles which surround the mouth. These are
branched, and have quite the effect of little tufts of seaweed. They
are probably taken for such by many minute animals; for larvæ of all
kinds, Infusorians, Rotifers and worms settle down on them. But the
sea-cucumber bends inwards first one tentacle and then another, so
slowly as barely to be noticeable, brings the point to its mouth, lets
it glide gradually deeper into the gullet, until the whole tentacle is
within, and after a time draws it out again equally slowly and unfolds
it anew. Obviously it wipes the tentacle inside the gullet, and retains
everything living that was upon it. This performance is repeated
continually, day and night, and it is usually the only externally
visible sign of life which the animal displays.
This remarkable instinct is associated with a structural peculiarity,
for without the arborescent tentacles the fishing would not be nearly
so successful. Other sea-cucumbers or Holothurians have different
tentacles, and use them in quite a different manner, filling the mouth
with mud by means of them.
Very frequently, indeed, there are visible structural changes
associated with the modified food-instinct. Most predatory fishes chase
their prey, like the pike, the perch, and the shark, but there are also
lurkers, and these show in addition to the lurking instinct certain
definite bodily adaptations, without which this instinct could not have
such full play.
Thus in a marine fish known as the 'star-gazer' (_Uranoscopus_) the
eyes are situated not on the sides but on the top of the head, and the
mouth is also directed upwards. Its instinct leads it to bury itself in
the sand so that only the eyes are uncovered. It lies in wait in this
way until a suitable victim comes within reach, and then snaps at it
with a sudden movement. But it also possesses a decoying organ, a soft
worm-shaped flap, which it protrudes from the mouth as soon as little
fishes draw near. They make for this bait, and are thus caught.
Such ingenious fishing, which is quite suggestive of the human method
of catching trout with artificial bait, occurs in many predatory
fishes; but in every case the fish acts instinctively, without
reflection, on becoming aware of approaching prey. The suitability of
the action to the end does not depend upon consciousness of the end,
or upon reflection, but is a purely mechanical action, performed in
response to the stimulus of a sense-impression.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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