108 
SAGARTIAD^. 
markable power of elongation in the dark, alluded to by him, 
I have often noticed. The finest specimen I have ever seen 
used to stretch up at night in the form of a perpendicular 
column, five inches in height, with a thickness of about 
two-thirds of an inch ; from the summit of which the 
numerous slender tentacles, arching outward on all sides, 
and extended to extreme tenuity and translucency, gave to 
the whole animal somewhat of the appearance of an elegant 
palm-tree. This form I have endeavoured to imitate in 
Plate III. fig. 3 ; though the engraver has not succeeded in 
conveying an adequate idea of the shadowy character of the 
tentacles, which look like a thin light blue cloud when seen 
against a dark background. The more ordinary appearance 
I have given in Plate VI. fig. 11. 
But as little doubt exists in my mind that the species is 
the viduata of the “ Zoologia Danica.” I have before me 
at this moment specimens, which answer almost preeisely 
to Muller’s description, even in such minute characters as 
the number of the white bands (twenty-six in mine, 
“ viginti-quatuor ” in his); the dark brown speck, with a 
white dot in its centre — “ puncto pertuso ” — at the summit 
of each main band; the slender evanescent line between 
the bands — “ inter has strigas alia tenuior et pallidior ;” 
the longitudinal dark lines of the tentacles — “ lineola 
duplici longitudinal! obscurd ;” and even the minute 
depression in the middle of each tentacle at its foot — 
“ foveola versus basin all these points I trace readily ; 
and while they do honour to the preeision of the great 
Danish zoologist, they abundantly prove the identity of 
om* species with his. AVhether his undata is not a variety 
of the same, I am not sure. 
The Actinia lacerata of Dalyell I also incline to identify 
with the present, — from what he says of the colour, the 
length, form, and contour of the tentacles, the card-like. 
