OF SEA-ANEMONES. 89 



classification and of minute anatomy which are 

 vexed questions, and it is very probable that a care- 

 ful examination of our shores would largely add to 

 the recorded number of species and varieties. 



I have read, I think, all that has been written on 

 the subject; I have collected for myself and seen 

 the collections of others ; and the natural result is, 

 that I have settled in my own mind many questions 

 which arose as to the relative position of various 

 individuals of the family. 



Such conclusions are submitted to the naturalist 

 in the tabular arrangement which ends this Chapter, 

 and I shall now venture to add a few of the reasons 

 which have influenced my decision, and to hope that 

 these imperfect thoughts may be not altogether un- 

 true or entirely useless in aiding some future ob- 

 server to build up a more perfect system of natural 

 arrangement. 



The first question wliich we have to answer is the 

 following : — 



"What is a Genus?" 



"A genus," says Professor Balfour, "is an assem- 

 blage of nearly related species, agreeing with one 

 another in general structure and appearance more 

 closely than they accord with any other species." 



Now Mr. Gosse perceived that the known species 

 of sea- anemones were naturally divided into three 

 such assemblages, and he accordingly divided the 



I 8 



