ACTINL# AND OTHER ACTINOID POLYPS. 37 
a 
whose barbs resist withdrawal. So that we can with certainty 
associate the sudden and violent death of the little fish with 
the intromission of barbed ecthorea.” 
The following observation Ly J. P. Couthouy, from the 
author's Report on Zodphytes (p. 128), if it is beyond ques 
tion, shows power even in the Actinia’s presence. “ Having a 
number of Monodontas (a genus of univalve Mollusca allied 
to our Trochi) too much crowded in a large jar of water. I 
took out half-a-dozen, and placed them in a jar with an Ac- 
tinia (Anthea flagellifera).- On looking at them about three 
hours after, | found that, instead of climbing like the others 
to the top of the water, they remained just where they had 
fallen, closely withdrawn into their shells. Supposing them 
to be dead, they were taken out, when they directly began to 
emerge; and when returned to the jar with the other Mono 
dontas, they were in less than five minutes clustered round 
its mouth. On placing them again in the jar with the Ac- 
tinia, though kept there for two hours, they did not once 
show themselves out of the shell. Once more placing them 
along with the other shells, they exhibited their former signs of 
life and activity. The experiment was repeated several times 
with a large Littorina, with the same result, evincing fear of 
the Actinia on the part of the Mollusks.~ 
Gosse states the following fish story, which is much to the 
point. Speaking of the Anthea cereus, or Opelet, a British 
species, he says (p. 168): “I one day saw an amusing example 
of its power of passive resistance. A beautiiul little speci- 
men of the variety alabastrina, which had been sent to me 
by Mr. Gatehouse, I had occasion to remove from one tank 
to another. There was a hali-grown Bullhead (Cottus bubalis) 
at the bottom, which had been in captivity rather more than 
a fortnight. As he had not been fed during that time, I pre 
