85 



III a second speeie^^of f^ca-aaemoue, allied to tlie one providing 

 board and lodging for the Am/}h//>r/on, hut ot" rather smaller size, 

 and having the tentacles representel by globular bead-like promi- 

 nences, I found a singular form of prawn associated in a similar 

 manner. This species was, howevei% more common in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Tud, or Warrior, Island. This prawn, which I have 

 not yet had an opportunity of identifying, was further remark- 

 able for being coloured red and white, after the manner of the 

 fish just described. These hues in the two organisms, no doubt, 

 fulfil some important functioii in the economy of the host or 

 guest, or probably of both. Possibly, it may be that their brilliant 

 colours attract the notice of other predatory fish, and vvhicb, on 

 rushing to seize an apparently easy prey, fall victims themselves 

 to the passively expectant sea-anemones. The anemones' guests 

 would thus, in return for secure and comfortable lodgings, enact 

 for their hosts the parts of very effective baits. Among the sea- 

 anemones of the Torres Straits district, notewcn'thy for their 

 intrinsic beauty, reference may be made to a form frequently 

 found rooted in the sand among the coral pools, and in wdiich 

 the tentacles, wdiich are twenty-four in number, are delicately 

 subdivided, like the fronds of certain ferns. A highly character- 

 istic photograph of an example of this species, of the natural size 

 and in its fully extended condition, was secured. It it 

 apparently referable to the genus ThaJassiantliKS of Leuckart. 



A subject that could be studied very effectively in connection 

 with a Zoological Station established at Thursday Island, and one 

 that is intimately connected with both practical and scientific 

 interests, is that of the formation and growth of coral reefs. 

 Next to nothing is as yet known concerning the individual rate 

 of growth of the numerous and extensively diverse species of 

 madrepores, that contribute extensively towards the composition 

 of this submarine architectui'e, and it is only through investiga- 

 tions prosecuted in a persistent and systematic manner, and as 

 they wovild be under the auspices of such an institution as is here 

 advocated, that anything approaching a comprehensive knowledge 

 of this very complex subject can be acquired. Some of the reef- 



