90 A MANUAL 



recognized genus Actinia into three genera, to 

 which the three groups I have given in the text 

 correspond, and I only did not use his nomen- 

 clature hecause it involved the continual repeti- 

 tion of two more " hard words," a great considera- 

 tion in a ])opular ' Manual.' I venture to copy his 

 arrangement from the first volume of his ' Manual of 

 Marine Zoology for the British Isles,' a work which 

 should be in the hands of every shore-going natu- 

 ralist. 



" Actinia (Linnaeus). Body adherent, cylindrical ; 

 destitute of warts, of pores, and of missile filaments ; 

 skin smooth ; a series of capsuliferous spherules at 

 the margin of the disk. 



A. mesembryanthemum. 



„ margaritifera. 



„ chiococca." 

 This genus corresponds with Group I. as given 

 above. By "missile filaments" are meant the white 

 threads which the "daisy" and his allies send out 

 on provocation. By "warts" those perforated erect 

 tubercles which stand out from the whole exterior 

 surface of the "thick-skinned" and his friends, and 

 by "x)ores" those less apparent projections which 

 line the upper portion of the body of the "daisy" 

 and company. Mr. Gosse seems tlms to separate 

 specifically the tubercles of eitlier genus, and to be- 

 lieve that the "sucking-glands" are distinct from 

 both these organs and are clearly marked in both 



