Read Ebook: Het Leven der Dieren: Deel 3.8 De Stekelhuidigen Plantdieren en Sponsen by Brehm Alfred Edmund

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Ebook has 386 lines and 31638 words, and 8 pages

"I suppose you intend that for wit," said the new boy languidly.

"Yes; to do you, to wit," answered Henderson; "but seriously though, that would be a great deal more like what you have been accustomed to, wouldn't it, my friend?"

"Very much more," said the boy.

"And would you politely favour this company," said Henderson, with obsequious courtesy, "by revealing to us your name?"

"My name is Howard Tracy."

"Oh, indeed!" said Henderson, with an air of great satisfaction, and making a low bow.

"I am called Howard Tracy because I am descended lineally from both those noble families."

"Perhaps you may not know that my uncle is the Viscount Saint George," said Tracy patronisingly.

"Is he, though, by George!" said Henderson yawning. "Is that Saint George who--

"`Swinged the dragon, and e'er since Sits on his horseback at mine hostess' door?'"

But finding that the boy's vanity was too obtuse to be amusing any longer, he was about to leave him to the rest, when Jones caught sight of Walter, and called out:--

"Halloa, here's a new fellow grinning at the follies of his kind. Come here, you dark-haired chap. What's your name?"

"Evson," said Walter, quietly approaching them. Before getting any fun out of him it was necessary to see what kind of boy he was; and as Jones hardly knew what line to take, he began on the commonest and most vulgar tack of catechising him about his family and relations. "What's your father?"

"My father is a gentleman," said Walter, rather surprised at the rudeness of the question.

"And where do you live?"

"At Semlyn."

"And how old are you?"

"Just thirteen."

"And how many sisters have you?"

Walter rather thought of asking, "What's that to you?" but as he saw no particular harm in answering the question, and did not want to seem too stiff-backed, he answered, "Three."

"And are they very beautiful?"

"I don't know; I never asked them. Are yours?" This last question was so perfectly quiet and unexpected, and Jones was so evidently discomfited by it, that the rest burst into a roar of laughter, and Henderson said, "You've caught a tartar, Jones. You can't drop salt on this bird's tail. You had better return to Plumber, or Saint George and the dragon. Here, my noble Viscount, what do you think of your coeval? Is he as common as the rest of us?"

"I don't think anything about him, if you mean me by Viscount," said Tracy peevishly, beginning at last to understand that they had been making a fool of him.

"Quite right, Saint George; he's beneath your notice." Tracy ran his hand through his scented hair, as if he rather Implied that he was; and being mortified at the contrast between his own credulous vanity and Walter's manly simplicity, and anxious if possible to regain his position, he said angrily to Walter, "What are you looking at me for?"

Not wishing to be rude, Walter turned away, while someone observed, "A cat may look at a king."

"Ay, a cat at a king, I grant you," answered Henderson; "but not a mere son of Eve at any Howard Tracy."

"You are laughing at me," said Tracy to Walter again, in a still angrier tone, seeing Walter smile at Henderson's remark.

"I've not the slightest wish to laugh at you," said Walter.

"Yes he has. Shy this at him," said Jones, putting a great bit of orange peel into Tracy's hand.

Tracy threw it at Walter, and he without hesitation picked it up, and flung it back in Tracy's face.

"A fight! a fight!" shouted the mischief-making group, as Tracy made a blind blow at Walter, which his antagonist easily parried.

"Make him fight you. Challenge him," said Jones. "Invite him to the milling-ground behind the chapel after first school to-morrow morning."

"`What can ennoble fools or cowards Not all the blood of all the Tracys, Dragons, and Howards!'"

He continued mischievously, as he saw that Tracy, on taking note of Walter's compact figure, showed signs of declining the combat.

"Hush, Henderson," said Kenrick, one of the group who had taken no part in the talk; "it's a shame to be setting two new fellows fighting their first evening."

But Henderson's last remark had been too much for Tracy. "Will you fight?" he said, walking up to Walter with reddening cheeks. For Tracy had been to school before, and was no novice in the ways of boys.

"Certainly not," said Walter coolly, to everybody's great surprise.

"Stop," said Kenrick; "let's hear first why he won't fight?"

"Because I see no occasion to," said Walter; "and because, in the second place, I never could fight in cold blood; and because, in the third place--"

"Well, what in the third place?" said Kenrick, interested to observe Walter's hesitation.

"In the third place," said Walter, "I don't say it from conceit--but that boy's no match for me."

To anyone who glanced at the figures of the two boys this was obvious enough, although Walter was a year the younger of the two. The rest began to respect Walter accordingly as a sensible little man, but Tracy was greatly offended by the last remark, and Jones, who was a bully and had a grudge against Walter for baffling his impertinence, exclaimed, "Don't you be afraid, Tracy. I'll back you. Give him something to heat his cold blood."

Fired at once by taunts and encouragements, Tracy did as he was bid, and struck Walter on the face. The boy started angrily, and at first seemed as if he meant to return the blow with compound interest, but suddenly changing his intention, he seized Tracy round the waist, and in spite of all kicking and struggling, fairly carried the humiliated descendant of the Howards and Tracys to a far corner of the room, where, amid a shout of laughter, he deposited him with the laconic suggestion, "Don't you be a fool."

"Aren't you? Saucy young cub! Then take that," said Jones, enforcing the remark with a box on the ear.

Jones, astonished beyond measure, sprang forward, clenched his two fists, squared, and blustered with great demonstrativeness. He was much Walter's senior, and was utterly taken by surprise at his audacity; but he seemed in no hurry to avenge the insult.

"Well," said Walter, heaving with indignation, "why don't you hit me again?"

Jones looked at his firm and determined little assailant with some alarm, slowly tucked up the sleeves of his coat, turned white and red, and--didn't return the blowen van ambulacraalvoetjes in een groeve, die zich echter niet tot aan den mond uitstrekt. De ontdekker van deze diergroep is de Noordsche natuuronderzoeker en dichter Peter Kirsten Asbj?rnson, die van een diepte van 350 M. uit het wegens zijn natuurschoon beroemde Hardanger-fjord een elfarmige soort opvischte. Dit prachtig roode dier heeft zeer buigzame armen van 30 cM., terwijl de middellijn van de schijf 2.8 cM. bedraagt. Men kent thans een geheele reeks van soorten van deze en eenige verwante geslachten; alle bewonen groote diepten en onderscheiden zich van de overige Stekelhuidigen ook hierdoor, dat zij een verwonderlijk fraai licht verbreiden.

VIERDE KLASSE.

DE SLANGSTERREN .

Ook bij deze dieren is het lichaam uit een schijf en armen samengesteld. De buitengewoon slanke en lenige armen vertoonen zich niet als onmiddellijke voortzettingen van de schijf, maar als aanhangsels van haar onderzijde, die er als 't ware ingevoegd of aangezet zijn. De schijf heeft in 't midden van de buikzijde een stervormige mondopening, welker stralen zich tot aan den oorsprong der armen, maar niet in den vorm van groeven hierover uitstrekken. De armen zijn bekleed met reeksen van naar achteren gerichte schubben, die elkander dakpansgewijs bedekken. De zeer eenvoudig ingerichte ambulacraalpootjes hebben aan 't einde geen hechtschijfje en worden aan weerszijden van de onparige reeks van buikschubben, tusschen deze en de meestal stekeldragende zijschubben uitgestoken. De aarsopening ontbreekt; de madreporenplaat ligt aan de buikzijde van de schijf bij de mondopening, in welker omgeving men ook 10 voor de ademhaling dienende spleetvormige openingen aantreft.

Van de klasse der Slangsterren zijn niet minder dan 700 levende, daarentegen slechts een 50-tal fossiele soorten bekend; zij is dus rijker aan hedendaagsche vormen dan alle overige klassen van Stekelhuidigen. Het talrijkst zijn zij op rotsachtige kusten met weligen plantengroei; het is echter niet gemakkelijk ze hier te vinden daar zij sluw en vreesachtig zijn en zich zeer behendig door rotsspleten, tusschen takken van polypenstokken, kokers van Wormen en wortels, kortom langs de minst gebaande paden weten te bewegen. Hierbij vervullen de ambulacraalpootjes een ondergeschikte rol; de armen daarentegen kronkelen zich als slingerstaarten om allerlei dikke en dunne voorwerpen. Allerlei lagere dieren, vooral Polypen, worden als voedsel gebruikt; de mondhoeken doen als kaken dienst.

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