164 THE AQUARIAN NATURALIST. 



day two originating Actiniae unfolded their external 

 organs ; and besides these, a multitude of fragments 

 were advancing to perfection. Thus an uncommon 

 mode of propagation is in this case effected by the 

 spontaneous separation of fragments from the margin 

 of the base of the parent Actinia, each containing 

 the elements of its progeny, and by progressive evo- 

 lution unfolding a new animal. This mode of repro- 

 duction is prolific : the specimen figured in our Plate 

 produced twenty young ones in this way within a 

 month, and as many more in three months ; therefore 

 probably at least seventy young ones were evolved 

 and detached from this specimen in the course of the 

 year. Nor is this remarkable mode of propagation 

 confined to a solitary species. 



An Actinia dianthus, in the vivarium of Mr. Jabez 

 Hogg, became so firmly adherent to the side of the 

 glass, that after having vainly endeavoured to detach 

 itself, with an apparent degree of violence, it posi- 

 tively tore itself away, leaving behind six small pieces 

 of the outer margin of its circular foot. Firmly 

 glued to the side, these portions served for many days 

 merely to mark the spot ; at the end of a week, on 

 attempting to clean them off with a piece of stick, 

 Mr. Hogg saw, to his surprise, that they retracted on 

 being touched ; and in a few days more his surprise 

 was still greater, to behold a row of tentacles growing 

 around the upper part of each of them, and that they 

 soon became every one of them developed into per- 

 fectly formed Actiniae, the wounds of the parent ani- 

 mal being completely healed, and the creature quite 

 as lively as before the occurrence. 



