ANEMONES 



379 



tral point of the base and are continuous with the eight sulcations of 

 the column. These coincide with the corresponding internal parti- 

 tions which are seen through the transparent walls. The upper naked 

 portion, in expansion, is one third of an inch or more in length, 

 smooth and cylindrical. The tentacles are about thirty-six in number, 

 arranged somewhat crowdedly in two rows close to the margin. 

 They are long, slender, tapering to a point, the outer ones a little 

 longer than the inner, which are twice longer than the diameter of the 

 disk ; mouth with four small but prominent lobes on each side. 



"The color of the central sheathed portion is usually yellowish-brown, 

 but varies to black, according to situation and color of mud where 

 found ; basal naked area pellucid yellowish- white ; upper naked por- 

 tion yellowish, surrounded, about midway between the tentacles and 

 sheath, by a ring consisting of eight lunate, arrow-shaped or square 

 opaque white spots, which are close together and sometimes extend 

 downward at the lower angles, forming a white line along the sides of 

 each invection ; tentacles transparent yellowish-white, sprinkled with 

 numei'ous flake-white dots, sometimes with small, white spots at the 

 outer base. Mouth and stomach bright red, the former generally 

 prominent ; disk yellowish, with faint white radii, and white spots 

 often surrounding the bases of the tentacles. 



"Length of the largest specimen when in full expansion, about 5 

 inches; in diameter, .15 ; when contracted, about 1.5 inches in length." 



While this description does not mclude internal characters so im- 

 portant in Actinian diagnosis, I do not feel justified in separating the 

 Alaskan form from E. sipunculoides. Though widely separated from 

 each other geographically, both occur in the same regions as the cir- 

 cumboreal U. crassicornis and M. 

 dianthus^ and both are subjected to 

 the same climatic and physical con- 

 ditions of life. 



In the life-size photographs made 

 from preserved material (Plate xxiv) 

 the "inferior" and "upper naked 

 portions " are obviously much con- 

 tracted. The adhesiveness of the 

 foot is apparent. In one specimen 

 the oesophagus is completely everted, 

 and the biserial arrangement of the 

 tentacles indicated. I shall return to this latter point when the mesen- 

 teries are considered. The number of the tentacles varies with the 

 size, ranging in seven individuals from 20 in the smallest, through 

 22, 23, 26, 28, 29 to 35 in the largest. 



Verrill has not mentioned the capsules of nematocysts embedded in 

 the body wall and opening outward by a narrow orifice. They are 



Fig. 8. Edxvardsiella sifunculoidcs. 

 Portion of body wall, showing cap- 

 sules of nematocysts. 



