OF SEA- ANEMONES. 47 



use the paper-knife skilfully we shall see a circle of 

 blue beads inside the margin of the body, and there- 

 fore just outside the outer row of tentacles. When 

 the animal is in full flower, the beads are generally 

 visible. All anemones which have this peculiarity 

 may be placed in a group by themselves (if you re- 

 quire a name for the group, see Chapter YI.), and 

 there are three species, two of which are common 

 on our coasts. 



The first is Actinia mesembryanthemum, "the 

 common sea-anemone." Its body varies consider- 

 ably in colour : we may obtain varieties ranging 

 from light to dark green — some are brown, some 

 liver-colour (and this is the ordinary variety), some 

 light red, scarlet and orange-buff. Two varieties 

 are striped, one an apple-green with pea-green lines, 

 another scarlet banded with yellow. The colour of 

 the beads varies from dark to light blue, in one 

 variety is white, and in young specimens a purple- 

 gi'ay. A blue rim round the base is generally clearly 

 marked. 



The '' strawberry anemone " is usually supposed 

 to be a variety of the common s]Decies, but, as may 

 be seen in Chapter VI., I am inclined to think that 

 it is an independent species. It is of a brown 

 colour, with green spots, and the blue line of the 

 base of the common kind is almost, if not entirely, 

 wanting in the " strawberry." The most important 

 difference is this, that the largest common ane- 



