EASILY PRESERVED ALIVE. 127 



were studded at low-water mark with this Madrepore, 

 — a curious aud interesting spectacle. I obtained at 

 this time a considerable number of individuals, many 

 of which were of large size and of great beauty. 

 Double specimens were numerous, triple ones not un- 

 common, and I possess a four-fold one, the bodies 

 being all agglomerated- into one, and the plated disks 

 with the fleshy parts alone being separated ; these 

 diverge in the form of a cross. (Plate V. fig. 5). I 

 presume that these forms are to be accounted for by 

 supposing that two, three, or four gemmules hap- 

 pened to affix themselves near together, and that in 

 process of growth, the stony particles deposited be- 

 came soldered together. The appearance however of 

 the specimens is that of a hranchinc/ Coral. 



The Madrepore is as easily kept in captivity as an 

 Actinia, and from its beauty is particularly suited to 

 an inmate of such a marine aquarium for the parlour 

 as I have been endeavouring to form, and shall pre- 

 sently describe. At the time of these pages going to 

 press I have specimens which have been in my pos- 

 session more than eight months. 



Plate V, fig. 2, represents Caryophtjllia Smithii, 

 of the natural size, a fine specimen, much distended, 

 but little expanded. Fig. 3 is a smaller one, in a 

 different condition. Fig. 1. One fully expanded, 

 about 2 J times as large as life (linear measure). 

 Fig. -5. The quadruple specimen above-mentioned. 

 Fig. 4. The calcareous skeleton split open, to show 

 the internal structure : — magnified %\ times. 



