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THE MUSEUM. 



fathoms but are frequently found be- 

 tween high and low water mark, both 

 in pools and in places where they are 

 left dry for an hour or more, where 

 they hang relaxed and flabby until the 

 tide returns, when they quickly revive. 

 To remove large specimens of this 

 species from their favorite rock, with 

 out serious injury, is no easy matter; 

 for although they are not permanently 

 attached but are capable of moving 

 freely about by gliding along upon 

 their large, high muscular adhesive 

 base, yet when disturbed they cling so 

 closely and firmly to the rock, that 

 they are very likely to be torn open 

 upon the base, rather than loosen 

 their hold. But if the rock be tolera- 

 bly smooth, by gradually and carefully 

 starting them up by pushing with the 

 thumb nail or some dull instrument 

 against and under the base, they^may 

 finally be safely removed. If broken 

 open they will never recover or heal, 

 though they will usually expand and 

 appear very well for several days. 



In the confinement of an aquarium, 

 or even in a jar or bowl of sea water, 

 one of these Actinias will soon make 

 itself at home, and, fixing itself upon 

 one side of the vessel by its base, will 

 expand its feathery plume of tentacles 

 day after day in search of tiny prey, 

 and woe to the unlucky creature, be it 

 animalcule, shell tish, shrimp or fish, 

 that comes in contact with its crown 

 of gorgous tentacles armed with myri- 

 ads of poison-darts, deadly to all 

 creatures destined to be its prey! 

 When fully expanded, this species has 

 a very graceful form which cannot fail 

 to please any one who has a taste for 

 the symmetry and beauty of natural 

 objects. From the slightly expanded 

 base the body arises in the form of a 

 tall, smooth column sometimes cylin- 

 drical, sometimes tapering slightly to 

 the middle and then enlarging to the 

 summit. Towards the top of the 

 column is surrounded by a circular 

 thickened fold, above which the 

 character of the surface suddenly 

 changes, the skin becoming thinner 



and translucent, so that' the internal 

 radiating partitions are visible through 

 it. This part expands upward toward 

 the margin, which is folded into 

 several deep undulations or frills, and 

 these edges are covered everywhere 

 by an immense number of fine, slender 

 crowded tentacles, which also occupy 

 about half the width of the oval disk 

 but increase in size and diminish in 

 number towards the mouth, which oc- 

 cupies the center of the disk. The 

 mouth is oval and its lips have numer- 

 ous folds. It opens directly into the 

 stomach, which is a simple sack sus- 

 pended in the center of the body, hav- 

 ing a small opening in its lower end, 

 through which the products of diges- 

 tion are poured into the main cavity 

 of the body, while the hard or undi- 

 gested parts of the food, such as shells 

 bones, etc. , are cast from the mouth. 

 The whole interior of the body, be- 

 tween the stomach and exterior, is di- 

 vided up into an immense number of 

 narrow chambers, by these muscular 

 partitions which radiate from the cen- 

 ter toward the exterior, and are of 

 various widths, some reaching from 

 the wall to the stomach and serving 

 to support it, while others extend only 

 a little way inward from the outer 

 wall; each tentacle is hollow and is a 

 a direct continuation of the radiating 

 chamber below it, so that there are as 

 many chambers as tentacles, and of 

 course twice as many radiating parti- 

 tions as chambers. The digested food, 

 mingled with sea water, serves for 

 blood, and fills all the chambers and 

 the main cavity of the body below the 

 stomach; and as there is no heart, the 

 fluid is put in motion and circulaton 

 through every part by means of myri- 

 ads of minute vibrating lashes or cilia, 

 that cover all parts of the interior sur- 

 face, and this same surface of soft 

 membrane has the power of absorbing 

 such nutritious substances as each or- 

 gan may require, from the fluid that 

 bathes it, and also the oxygen con- 

 tained in the sea water. Indeed it is 

 probable every part of the surface. 



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