348 Miscellaneous, 



the pair ; the baud bifurcates near its extremity, and encloses the 

 third tentacle ; these branches again divide and form a similar enclo- 

 sure for the arms of the fourth row : beyond these is a set of very 

 short tentacula ; these, as far as I have been able to examine them, 

 are not connected vsrith the yellow bands, but their small size and the 

 difficulty of seeing their entire length when the animal is expanded, 

 render it almost impossible to describe their exact appearance. On 

 the surface of the disk a cream-coloured spot is situated near the 

 base of each tentacle of the first and second rows, those connected 

 with the inner series being farther removed from them than those of 

 the second ; the alternation of light and shade produced by this 

 arrangement gives a battlemented appearance to the disk, and adds 

 considerably to the general effect. The tentacula rapidly diminish 

 in size from those of the inner row outwards ; they are dark brown 

 at the bases, becoming paler towards the tips, and are encircled by 

 three well-defined white rings, of which the basal ones are very 

 distinct. Several examples of this species were obtained at extreme 

 iow water-mark, from a large mass of detached rocks known as the 

 Mewstone, near the entrance to Dartmouth harbour. They were met 

 with on two or three occasions, but were always found nestling among 

 the roots of Laminaria digitata. 



A few weeks since, part of a plant of Laminaria vf as sent to me 

 from Devon, and among the roots I found six specimens of an 

 Actinia that closely resembled the one just described, excepting that 

 the brown on the tentacula and certain parts of the disk was replaced 

 by various shades of red. These animals differ so little, except in 

 the general colour of the disk and appendages, that until I have an 

 opportunity of examining some more specimens, I must consider the 

 red one as only a variety of the other, and as such I would pro- 

 visionally describe it. This uncertainty obliges me to depart from 

 the old-established rule of giving the specific name from some marked 

 character in the animal, and I must therefore propose the more 

 general title of ornata for the brown species, and suggest that of 

 ruhida for the red one, should it on future examination prove to be 

 distinct, which I am inclined to think is probable. 



}j4im ■ ■ 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



'^. OBITUARY NOTICE. WILLIAM YARRELL. 



The list -oi British zoologists has just lost one of its best and 

 brightest ornaments in the person of William Yarrell, who died sud- 

 denly at Yarmouth on Monday the 1st of September. Mr. Yarrell 

 was born in June 1784, in Duke Street, St. James's, where his father 

 earned on the business of a newspaper agent : this business was after- 

 wards continued by the son in Ryder Street until nearly the time of 

 his decease. 



On the 3rd of August last, as he was returning from church, he 

 was seized by a giddiness and unsteadiness of foot, which proved to 



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