78 THE MARINE AQUARIUM. 
naked eye they appeared mere flocculent specks, but a 
lens revealed their true form as they adhered to the side 
of the vessel; every one of the little creatures, with its 
tentacles expanded, a real microscopic gem, combining 
the grace of a flower with the tinting of a pearl, and the 
delicate volition of a new-born animal. 
When full grown, the gemmed anemone is very showy 
in its tintings. Pink, yellow, and grey are all beautifully 
blended, and the rows of glands which reach from the 
margin to the base, add their dots of white to the gar- 
merits of this tiny harlequin. The disk is brilliantly 
coloured, scarlet, green, and orange, shading into each 
other, and occasionally mingled with half-tints of every 
colour of the rainbow. The lip is usually of a vivid 
green, and the tentacles exhibit rose, violet, orange, and 
white on their upper surfaces. In the cut, this anemone 
is seen partially closed on a piece of stone behind two 
specimens of 4. Bellis. 
Actinia Crassicornis is another of the more delicate 
kinds, that dies speedily, unless treated with great care, 
and in a well-established tank. It is very abundant on 
every part of our coasts, and must be removed with the 
stone to which it is found adhering; for if removed, or 
even handled, it perishes in the course of a few hours. 
It is, however, too beautiful not to be worth an effort to 
preserve it; and, if the tank is in good condition, it will 
be well to obtain two or three specimens, and watch them 
narrowly, so that if any of them die, they may be imme- 
diately removed to avoid polluting the water. 
The colour of this anemone varies considerably in dif- 
