SEA- WATER AQUARIA. 125 



Crass. Of this gorgeous Anemone, Pennington says : — " It is one 

 which may be kept with ease in an aquarium ; " but other ob- 

 servers have been led by their own experience to form quite an 

 opposite opinion. Thus Gosse remarks : — " Beautiful as is the 

 Dahlia, it is not a very frequent tenant of our aquariums, as it is 

 one of the most difficult to keep. . . It appears to be little 

 able to sustain extremes of temperature. The heat of summer 

 is generally fatal to our captive specimens ; and a severe winter 

 makes havoc among those which are in the enjoyment of free- 

 dom. '' And Bennett says that his " own experience goes to prove 

 that they die in a few days." 



I seem to be one of the lucky ones, for my large Tealia 

 flourishes well, and I have had him for several months. In con- 

 nection with this Anemone, it is interesting to note that Dicque- 

 mare observed :—" Of all the kinds of Sea-Anemones, I would 

 prefer this for the table ; being boiled some time in sea-water, 

 they acquire a firm and palatable consistence, and may then be 

 eaten with any kind of sauce. They are of an inviting appear- 

 ance, of a light shivering texture, and of a soft white and reddish 

 hue. Their smell is not unlike that of a warm crab or lobster." 



The other creature against which I was warned as one unlikely 

 to live in captivity is Anthea Ceretis, or the Opelet. But here 

 again I have been successful, for the Anthea in my tank flourishes 

 well. I had often noticed, when shore-hunting, that the Opelet 

 seemed to thrive in shallow tide pools, exposed to the direct rays 

 of the sun, and the water of which could only be replenished at 

 high water. I also noted that Lloyd, in his Handbook, referring 

 to the Anemones of the Cr}stal Palace Aquarium, remarked that 

 " some of them are diurnal in their habits, however, notably 

 Anthea, which likes much exposure to light, and does not fade, 

 and has a tendency to close at night. . . The one in the collec- 

 tion least apt to close when touched is Anthea, and this is also 

 the one most constantly open by day, and frequently apt to close 

 at night ; the reverse of this rule being the one generally found 

 to obtain among Sea- Anemones." 



Accordingly, when my Afithea first arrived, I dropped it on a 

 portion of rock-work only just covered by water, and fully ex- 

 posed to the light, and the creature has flourished well. I have 



