80 



ACTINIA TEMPLETONII. «ody columnar, tuber- 

 cular ; disc festooned ; tentacula numerous and short. 



Actinia diantlius, Templeton in Mag. Nat. Hist., vol, 9, 

 p. 304. 



Hab. In narrow deep crevices between tide marks, 

 common. Wliitsand bay, Looe, Talland sand, Polperro, 

 Lantivet, and Mevagissey bays. Fowey. 



This, though not an abundant, is a common species, found 

 in pools the whole length of our South coast. It is highly gre- 

 garious, the animals living in close contact with each other. 

 It prefers those crevices which are narrow and deep, in pools 

 containing fragments of stones and Corallina officinalis ; but 

 is not unfrequently to be found in spots of an opposite cha- 

 racter. Into these recesses it readily withdraws from danger 

 or alarm. When thus contracted, it is entirely out of sight, 

 and almost out of reach. Thus situated, it is necessary to 

 break down the surrounding rock to procure a specimen. 

 It will occasionally leave these retreats and wander by an 

 almost imperceptible gliding motion of the foot disc over the 

 whole pool. 



In a contracted state it is hemispherical, expanded, 

 columnar, varying in length according to the depth of its 

 retreat. Externally it is coriaceous and irregularly glan- 

 dular ; superiorly it is of a neutral tint inclining to pink ; 

 inferiorly, of a yellowish flesh colour, and most commonly 

 smooth. The oral margin is festooned, and the surface is 

 varigated like A. dianthus. 



This and A. dianthus have hitherto been considered as 

 forming one species; but the surface of one is coriaceous and 

 tubercular, and of the other plain and smooth. This and 

 their difference of habit appear to be suflicient grounds for a 

 .specific distinction. Both have been found living in one pool, 

 with all these differences ; therefore locality alone cannot 

 be said to be the cause of the variations. This is the same 

 as the one mentioned by the late Mr. Templeton of Ireland, 

 and supposed by Dr. G. Johnston to be distinct from A. 

 dianthus. 



As there is little doubt of its being distinct, I propose to 

 call it Tcmplctonii in honor of that deceased naturalist. 

 ACTINIA PARASITICA. (R,C.) Body cylindrical ; 



skin coriaceous, sprinkled with minute warts; tentacula 



short, in six or seven series, varied. PI. xv., fig. 1, 2. 



The body, when the animal is expanded, is columnar, with 

 a hard coriaceous skin sprinkled with mimito warts and 

 alternately striped with yellow and brown. The tentacula 

 are about one-third the diameter of the oral disc; rather 

 slender ; mouth generally elevated into a cone. This may 



