SIX-RAYED POLYPS 3475 



somewhat to the left, there is an extended specimen, and near the right edge a 

 strongly contracted specimen of the lovely green Actinia cari. Other beautiful 

 forms are found in the two striped anemones, Ragactis pulchra and Cereactis auran- 

 tiaca. The sun anemone {Heliadis bellis*), again, varies greatly in color but is 

 always elegant, and the same may be said of the trumpet anemone with spotted ten- 

 tacles {ALptasia mutabilis}. In the foreground at the centre of a hermit crab is 

 seen carrying with him his guest, the cloak anemone (Adamsia palliata). A less 

 conspicuous anemone {Eloactis mazelii) is provided with somewhat long cylindrical 

 tentacles. The Anemonia sulcata lets its tentacles float gracefully, while the vest- 

 let ( Cerianthus membranaceus] , of varying color, hungrily stretches out its arms in 

 all directions. Cladadis costce> which is covered with warts, is no less voracious, 

 but with apparent apathy allows its tentacles to droop around it. 



These quiet, externally beautiful, and apparently harmless creatures are in 

 reality extremely voracious, devouring large pieces of flesh, and sucking down 

 mussels and oysters. When fed in an aquarium, the long grasping tentacles 

 greedily surround the food, such as morsels of flesh, small fish, or crabs, given to 

 them, and convey it to the mouth; not merely are the juices sucked out, but the 

 flesh itself is digested, only the fat being rejected. Well-fed anemones change 

 their skin frequently, no doubt because of their quick growth. During this proc- 

 ess, they remain closely contracted, expanding again after it is completed; the 

 shed skin forming a loose, dirty-looking girdle round the base of the foot. Anem- 

 ones only settle in places where the currents bring them the animal food they 

 need; and are most plentiful where the current is strongest, as, for instance, at the 

 entrance of harbors or on rocky coasts. Some species are in the habit of settling 

 on other animals whose requirements make them frequenters of disturbed waters, 

 hermit crabs being especial favorites. Certain species again, such as the large 

 yellow - and - brown - striped Actinia effceta (see illustration below), are indeed 

 always found fixed upon the shells inhabited by 

 these crabs, the one mentioned being generally 

 found with Pagurus striatus, a large Mediterranean 

 crab which inhabits whelk shells of suitable size. 

 Two or three of these anemones often settle on one 

 crab, which does not seem to be at all incommoded 

 by his burden, while the former profit in the matter 

 of food by the wanderings of their host. 



On account of the ease with which anemones 

 are kept in captivity, their manner of reproduction 

 has been well observed. With rare exceptions, they 

 develop from eggs. Dalyell kept one for six years, 

 and reared from it upward of two hundred and A SEA ANEMONE , Actinia effceta. 

 seventy-six young ones. Two of these young lived (Natural size.) 



for five years, producing eggs at ten or twelve 



months old, which hatched a couple of months later. He saw that the ciliated, 

 infusorian-like larvae (see illustration on p. 3474) settled down on the eighth day, 

 losing their cilia, the first tentacles appearing during the process of attachment. 



