88 Prof. R. C. R. Jordan on Actiniadse 



is almost leathery to the feel. The prevailing tint varies from a 

 light yellowish to a deep purplish-brown, with yellow and red 

 spots. It is darker at the base than towards the apex, the upper 

 part of the Anemone being often of a straw colour ; it has always 

 about twelve broad longitudinal yellow bands running from the 

 apex to the base ; there are also narrow yellow stripes between 

 these, running from the base and gradually losing themselves. 

 The oral disc is white ; the tentacles though not long are filiform, 

 and very numerous, in five or six rows ; they are white, with the 

 exception of a line of darker spots on each side of the upper 

 surface of the inner row. In some specimens I believe the 

 spots extend to all the tentacles, or the tentacles may even be 

 ringed with black. The most remarkable feature in this Actinia 

 is the single circlet of large porous tubercles which surrounds the 

 body, about one-third of an inch from the base. These are only 

 seen when the animal is expanded ; there is apparently one aper- 

 ture for each ovarian chamber; they are slightly darker in tint, 

 raised and perforated in the centre. It has the power of ejecting 

 water from them, and thread-like filaments are often to be seen 

 protruding from their orifices. 



This Anemone inhabits the deep sea, and is only thrown up 

 after stormy weather, when abundance of specimens are to be 

 found : they do not live well in confinement. The figure in Dr. 

 Johnston's work gives an excellent idea of this species, but I 

 have searched in vain for the rows of small glands near the 

 summit. The single ring of large glands near the base is 

 omitted, but these are not always visible, 



7. Actinia clavata"^ (Thompson); var. rosacea (Gosse). 



This specimen was taken from a hole in one of the sand 

 masses formed by Sabellce, amid the rocks beneath Torre Abbey. 

 It had no sand adhering to it, and was taken without injury 

 and remained for a long time in excellent health. Its base is of a 

 reddish-orange colour, thickly punctured with fine red spots ; 

 this shades ofi" into a much lighter colour towards the mouth, 

 where the ground is of a straw colour, but here there are distinct 

 rows of brilliant red spots, some of which even extend up the 

 under surface of the tentacles ; these are probably porous. 

 When the Anemone is contracted, it is of a semiglobose form, 

 and the colour is then more intense than in expansion, but the 

 tint is always darker at the base than towards the upper portion 

 of the body. In expansion it becomes very much longer, but 

 the base is always the broadest part, and never under any cir- 



* Kindly named, from the description given above, by Mr. Gosse, to 

 whom the account was referred. 



