122 THE PRESERVATION OF MARINE ANIMALS 



dies in the form of a shrunken, shapeless mass. Nevertheless, with 

 care and practice considerable success may be achieved. 



One species of anemone, Anthea cereus, or Anemonia sulcata, 

 which is common enough on British coasts, is incapable of with- 

 drawing its tentacles and enclosing them within the contracted walls 

 of its body or " column." The difficulties involved in the preserva- 

 tion of most species are therefore absent in the case of this one. 

 When it is well expanded in a quantity of water just sufficient to 

 cover it, it is killed by the sudden addition of an equal quantity of a 

 mixture of chromic acid (i per cent.) and picro-sulphuric ' acid in 

 equal parts. It is left thus for five or ten minutes, and then its base 

 is removed from its attachment and the specimen is suspended by 

 the margin of the base, tentacles downwards, in a ^ per cent, 

 solution of chromic acid ; after half-an-hour in this it is transferred 

 to dilute alcohol, and subsequently to stronger alcohol. 



Small anemones, such as Corynacfis, and very STiall specimens of 

 larger species, may be killed with saturated solution of corrosive 

 sublimate poured over them in boiling condition. 



The common red anemone, Actinia equijia, or niese/nbryanthemum, 

 is to be killed with a boiling mixture of loo parts saturated solution 

 of sublimate and 50 parts pure acetic acid, from which it is trans- 

 ferred after a second or two to chromic acid \ per cent. 



In the case of Heliactis hellis, Biinodes gemmaceus and B. rigidus, 

 when the specimen is fully expanded, the sea water is siphoned off 

 from the vessel containing it until only enough is left to cover the 

 specimen, and then a volume of chloral hydrate solution, 2 per 1,000, 

 twice as large as that of the water left is added. This anaesthetizes 

 the animal, and after a couple of minutes it is removed in the same 

 manner, and cold concentrated solution of corrosive sublimate is 

 poured in in considerable quantity. 



To anaesthetize Adamsia rondeletii (the anemone which grows 

 always on whelk shells inhabited by the large hermit-crab, Eiipagurus 

 bernhardus), tobacco smoke is employed. The specimen in a beaker 

 with sea water is placed in a shallow dish containing a little water, 

 and covered with a bell-jar. A metallic pipe filled with strong 

 tobacco is fitted to a small pair of bellows and the tube introduced 

 beneath the edge of the bell-jar ; a small bent glass tube is also fitted 

 beneath the edge of the jar to allow air to escape. By working the 



I Picro-sulphuric acid is made by adding two parts of sulphuric acid per cent, to a saturated 

 solution of picric acid in water, then filtering and diluting the mixture with three times its 

 volume of water. 



