FAMILY GROUPS. 147 



off and developing a new base, and the lower half forming a new 

 disk and tentacles. 



Ordinarily, however, the reproduction of the Actinias is carried 

 on by the production of germs, or embryos, which, after being 

 partially developed in the spaces between the stomach and the 

 outer wall of the body, known as the interseptal chambers, are 

 discharged from the mouth, frequently with the undigested re- 

 mains of the food, twenty to thirty young Anemones sometimes 

 appearing thus at a single litter. Sir John Dalyell states that an 

 Anemone which he had in his possession for six years gave birth 

 during that time to two hundred and seventy-six young ones in 

 this manner. It is by no means uncommon to see some old 

 patriarchal dianthus surrounded by a numerous colony of his 

 descendants in various stages of growth, children, grandchildren, 

 and great-grandchildren all clustering closely together, and not 

 unfrequently exhibiting an unmistakable family likeness. In an 

 Aquarium, in which some of the more freely propagating kinds 

 have been kept for a time, numbers of these tiny creatures may 

 be seen attached to the shells and blocks of stone ; and with their 

 thin gelatinous bodies tinged with the faintest indication of the 

 distinctive colour of the species, and their disproportionately long 

 tentacles pertly stretched out, they have an extremely curious 

 appearance. 



Another mode in which the increase of these animals is effected 

 is that of budding, the young Anemones sprouting out from the 

 sides of the parent in the manner already described in the chapter 

 on Jelly-fish. 



Most of the Anemones of which we have hitherto spoken are 

 readily to be found by an industrious explorer within the strip 

 of shore laid bare by the ebb of the tide ; dianthus perhaps 

 being the one least likely to be met with, since, for the most part, 

 it is an inhabitant of deep water. But now, in closing our 

 notice of these extraordinary animals, we will introduce to our 

 readers a gentleman which habitually keeps aloof from the shore, 

 in quiet depths, where he can only be reached by the dredge. 

 Sagartia parasitica is one of the largest of our Anemones, and 

 derives its specific name from its habit of attaching itself to the 

 shells inhabited by the Hermit Crab. Occasionally it is found on 

 shells not thus tenanted, and still more rarely on stones ; its 

 proper home, however, is the domicile of Pagttms BernJiardus 



