14 
SAGARTIADJ2. 
a single mouth-groove, are well-marked characters peculiar 
to it among our British species. This last peculiarity 
isolates the species from every other with which I am 
acquainted. 
The generic appellation Actinoloha, I have adopted from 
De Blainville, who formed the genus in his “ Actinologie” 
(1834). It is sufficiently expressive ; hut ohjectionable on 
account of its construction. It is a good canon that no 
generic name ought to form a part of a second generic 
name. In this case the word is constructed out of Actinia^ 
and Xo/3o<;, a lobe or flap : it means, therefore, “ the lobed 
Actinia.” If it had been formed of the element a/crtV, 
a ray, the construction would have been unobjectionable, 
though the word would have been false in signification ; for 
what the French zoologist wished to express was “ a lobed 
Actinia,” not “ a creatiu-e with lobed rays (= tentacles).” 
The specific name, dianthus^ is due to a pretty fancy of 
Ellis, the father of English Zoophytology. Observing the 
resemblance which the Actinice, bore to composite or many- 
petaled flowers, — a resemblance which is perpetuated in 
the popular appellation. Sea- Anemones, — he named such as 
were known to him after those lovely objects ; helUs^ the 
daisy ; mesemhryanthemum, the fig-marigold ; dianthus, the 
pink. I do not know that we are to seek for special 
resemblances to the particular flowers chosen ; one q)oly- 
petalous flower might have served as well as another : still 
less shall we find any etymological significance in the 
appropriation. For the latter we must go back to the 
flower. In the present case, the pink and carnation genus 
is named dianthus, some say, for its great beauty ( 8409 , 
divine, dv0o<;, flower^ ; but it may be from its tendency to 
become double [81, the sign of duplication, SLavd})<i, having 
full or double floivers) : the lexicons moreover give Scavdeco 
(from Std), to bloom. 
