14 SAGARTIAD^. 



a single mouth-groove, are well-marked characters peculiar 

 to it among our British species. This last peculiarity 

 isolates the species from every other with which I am 

 acquainted. 



The generic appellation Actinoloba, I have adopted from 

 De Blainville, who formed the genus in his " Actinologie " 

 (1834). It is sufficiently expressive; but objectionable on 

 account of its construction. It is a good canon that no 

 generic name ought to form a part of a second generic 

 name. In this case the word is constructed out of Actinia, 

 and \of3bs, a lobe or flap : it means, therefore, " the lobed 

 Actinia." If it had been formed of the element dtcriv, 

 a ray, the construction would have been unobjectionable, 

 though the word would have been false in signification ; for 

 what the French zoologist wished to express was " a lobed 

 Actinia," not " a creature with lobed rays (= tentacles)." 



The specific name, dianthus, is due to a pretty fancy of 

 Ellis, the father of English Zoophytology. Observing the 

 resemblance which the Actinia? bore to composite or many- 

 petaled flowers, — a resemblance which is perpetuated in 

 the popular appellation, Sea- Anemones, — he named such as 

 were known to him after those lovely objects ; bellis, the 

 daisy; mesembryanthemum, the fig-marigold ; dianthus, the 

 pink. I do not know that we are to seek for special 

 resemblances to the particular flowers chosen ; one poly- 

 petalous flower might have served as well as another : still 

 less shall we find any etymological significance in the 

 appropriation. For the latter we must go back to the 

 flower. In the present case, the pink and carnation genus 

 is named dianthus, some say, for its great beauty (8to?, 

 divine, avdos, flower) ; but it may be from its tendency to 

 become double [81, the sign of duplication, Siavdr}?, having 

 full or double Jlowers) : the lexicons moreover give Scavdeco 

 (from Sia). to bloom. 



