OF SEA-ANEMONES. 43 



We fill three shallow pans or glasses with fresh 

 sea-water, and proceed to sort out our specimens. 



In No. 1 we put all the anemones which have 

 smooth, soft skins ; and we put them in with more 

 certainty if we find they have a circle of beads out- 

 side theii' tentacles and a blue line round tlieii* 

 bases. 



In No. 2 we place all those specimens which are 

 covered with large, conical, coloured tubercles or 

 warts. 



In No. 8 we insert all the rest, observing that they 

 have less prominent warts, which are disposed only 

 upon the upper half of their bodies, and that if we 

 stir them up with a paper-knife they will probably 

 shoot out a number of white threads from all parts 

 of their body, meaning thereby a personal remark to 

 us about our unnecessary intrusion. 



All the Antheas, or "Legs," we leave in this re- 

 ceptacle, for they are not Anemones, because ? — 



Because they have not the habit of drawing up 

 their tentacles within their bodies when danger 

 threatens them. 



Whilst we are engaged in sorting out the speci- 

 mens, I will describe briefly the construction or the 

 anatomy of the sea-anemone, for when we come to 

 define the various species we shall have to speak of 

 " oral discs," " thread capsules," and the like, and it 

 will be well to begin by understanding what these 

 terms mean. 



