482 Mr. De la Becbe on the habits of Caryophyllia. 



and swallowed the eggs. The orifice being closed, it again ex- 

 panded its tentacula, and had, at first, much the same appearance 

 as it had before the eggs were offered to it, excepting that the sac 

 seemed replete and protruded: but, after the eggs had been swal- 

 lowed some little time, the tentacula became more elongated. 

 Shortly after this it closed itself up. One of the brownish red 

 specimens had so plumped itself out as to conceal the cup, the 

 orifice of the sac and the points of the tentacula being visible. 

 Upon presenting some of the Prawn eggs to this individual, it 

 managed to open the orifice of the sac and swallow them, without 

 extending its tentacula. 



The other brownish red individual remained sunk in its radiated 

 cell, and would not swallow the eggs offered to it. 



April 25. The two brownish red individuals sickly. The 

 green one was partly expanded in the morning ; but, on giving it 

 fresh water, it collapsed. It, afterwards, expanded itself, hold- 

 ing its tentacula in a nearly vertical position. When expanded, 

 these animals do not appear to have much power of motion in 

 the tentacula, which are, however, capable of contraction and 

 elongation. They are nearly transparent except at the termina- 

 tion, which is a little ball, white and opaque. 



In the evening the green one was fully expanded. Upon placing 

 a small piece of fish (Haddock) in such a position as to touch two 

 or three of the outer tentacula, it was immediately caught up by 

 those ; and, by bringing the neighbouring tentacula to bear on it, 

 the animal conveyed the piece of fish to the orifice of its sac. 

 Then, after covering the whole with all the tentacula, it opened 

 the sac and conveyed the piece of fish into it. It was some time 

 before it had closed the orifice over the morsel, but when it had 

 effected this, it partially expanded the outer tentacula, the more 

 internal tentacula remaining much contracted. It then pursed up 

 the orifice into a kind of ball shape, and the interior of the sac ap- 

 peared of a pink colour, ag if some small vessels were distended 

 with a kind of blood during digestion. 



April 26. The green individual was expanded in the morning, 

 and, upon presenting it with a piece of fish (Haddock), it went 

 through the same manoeuvres as marked its repast yesterday, and 



