found on the Coast of Devon. 87 



then indeed died, with many others, from an accidental im- 

 purity of the sea-water. When found, it had everything but 

 the tentacles completely buried beneath the sand. These did 

 not then form a perfect circle, but were star-like in form, and 

 looked more like a small plant of Delesseria hypoglottis radi- 

 ating from a centre, than anything else, though they were less 

 scarlet and more rosy in tint. At our first glance we mistook 

 the Actinia for some seaweed of this kind. It was attached 

 at some depth beneath the sand, and shrunk-in the moment it 

 was touched. After some trouble we succeeded in getting it, 

 but were much disappointed in finding a dull white Anemone, 

 shaped like a beehive, and without any trace of the rosy tentacles 

 which but a minute before had looked so lovely ; in fact, we could 

 scarcely feel certain that we had secured the prize, the change 

 in its appearance seemed so magical ; however, when placed in 

 sea- water, it soon again spread its rosy crown of tentacles. 



In contraction this Anemone is of a dull white, which has 

 however a somewhat transjiarent look. There is no mark or 

 line on the whole surface. It expanded sufficiently to enable its 

 tentacles to be fully seen. They are short in proportion to the 

 body, and of a bright crimson lake colour ; they are in five rows ; 

 the four outer of these are fine, almost filiform, and of these 

 rows the outermost seems the shortest, but this may be only 

 from the incomplete expansion ; each tentacle has three rings, as 

 if a single shadeof gray-brown was painted on the crimson ground; 

 between these rings the colour is slightly lighter than elsewhere. 

 Within these four rows of fine tentacles is another circlet of 

 twelve, much thicker than the others, also rose-red shaded with 

 brown, but almost conical in shape. The oral disc is white, with 

 radiant dark lines. 



It never completely expanded during its life in confinement, 

 probably owing to the injury it had received. The tentacles 

 were during this time always spread in a circular form, and it 

 never put on the star-like shape which it had when first seen. 

 The sun was then shining brightly into the pool in which it was 

 found. 



With this species ends my account of the first great group of 

 the Actinice. AVe now pass to the second, or those provided with 

 porous warts. 



Div. II. Skin more or less covered with poroxis warts. 

 6. Actinia parasitica. 



Very common indeed upon the shore after storms, and gene- 

 rally found attached to whelks. It is of large size, and assumes 

 in contraction a beehive, or else a cylindrical form. The skin 



