MAKING THE BEST OF IT. 143 



shrimps, " which," says the writer, "exhaled such a fearful smell 

 as killed all my tank-ful." 



But those feats are nothing compared to the performance of 

 another Anemone of this species mentioned by Dr. Johnston : 

 " I had once brought to me," he says, " a specimen of Actinia 

 crassicornis, that might have been originally two inches in dia- 

 meter, and that had somehow contrived to swallow a valve of 

 the great scallop (Pecten maximus), of the size of an ordinary 

 saucer. The shell, fixed within the stomach, was so placed as to 

 divide it completely into two halves, so that the body, stretched 

 tensely over, had become thin and flattened like a pancake. All 

 communication between the inferior portion of the stomach and 

 the mouth was of course prevented, yet, instead of emaciating 

 and dying of an atrophy, the animal had availed itself of what 

 undoubtedly had been a very untoward accident, to increase its 

 enjoyment and its chance of double fare. A new mouth, fur- 

 nished with two rows of numerous teotacuk, was opened up on 

 what had been the base, and led to the under stomach ; the 

 individual had, indeed, become a sort of Siamese twin, but with 

 greater intimacy and extent in its union." 



In the Aquarium, crassicornis seems disposed to put up with 

 almost any sort of fare that is offered to it. A magnificent speci- 

 men which graced one of our tanks for some time made his last 

 meal on a piece of uncooked sole, and a day or two before he ap- 

 propriated the greater part of a small mussel. On one occasion, 

 we tried him with a portion of the tender posterior of a hermit- 

 crab which had been lying dead for two or three days ; but that 

 lie positively and very peremptorily refused. He clutched at it, 

 indeed, at first, and dragged it towards his mouth, which 

 partially opened to receive it ; but by this time it seems the 

 flavour of the morsel had become apparent, and the mouth again 

 closed, shortly afterwards pouting itself up so as to roll the of- 

 fensive object off the disc, the tentacles on one side bending down 

 to expedite its progress. It would appear from this incident that 

 crassicornis, at any rate, is careful not to eat his game too high, 

 however much he may prefer it for a little keeping. 



Whatever may be the kind of food swallowed, the undigested 

 portions are always thrown up within about twenty-four hours 

 afterwards, covered with a slimy mucus like the white of an egg. 

 Sometimes, indeed, the most delicate morsels are returned within 



