THE GREEN ACTION. S29 



" In a little rocky pool of sea-water, near the base of 

 Maddon, betwixt Brodick and Corrie, I discovered, in July, 

 1844, an alga which seemed new to me. ... On taking 

 it ont of the water, I observed a greenish gelatinous animal 

 on it, which, without examination, T cast into the pool 

 again, that it might continue to enjoy life. I afterwards 

 saw on the Codmm two more of the same species, but con- 

 siderably smaller ; and observing that they were beautifully 

 mottled with azure spots, I deposited them in my vasculum, 

 among the branches of the Codium. When, on reaching 

 home, I put them into a tumbler of sea-water, I saw that I 

 had got a rare and beautiful mollusc, discovered by Colonel 

 Montagu on the Devonshire coast. ... As I kept the Ac- 

 tceon for nearly a week in the tumbler, where it seemed 

 to browse with great satisfaction on the woolly beard of 

 the Codium J I had good opportunities of observing it, and I 

 found it even more beautiful than I could have supposed. . . . 

 Its colour is green — betwixt grass-green and bottle-green ; 

 but in certain hghts it has a considerable shade of rich puce 

 colour on the finest velvet. It is beautifully dotted with 

 azure and with gold. The azure spots are small and nume- 

 rous on all parts of the body and of the fins, and are pre- 

 cisely of the same brilliant azure as the lines on Patella 



