PLUMOSE ANEMONE. 79 



history I have elsewhere written in detail. 1 And 

 we see here and there, for the most part crowded into 

 groups, another interesting kind, the Plumose, 2 which 

 differs much in appearance from its associates, having 

 a taller column much more pellucid, and a crown of 

 tentacles so short, so numerous and so dense, as to form 

 a large confused tuft of frills, which cannot be separated 

 into rows. This kind is always of self-colours, which, 

 however, may be light olive, fawn-brown, orange, flesh- 

 colour, or pure white. Those which the tide has left 

 exposed, loll out of their holes and droop ; but under 

 the water they stand erect, with a noble boldness. 

 Each group generally contains individuals of all sizes, 

 and may be considered as a single family of several 

 generations, or, to speak more correctly, of several series 

 of offsets, of different ages. For it is highly characteris- 

 tic of this species to increase by spontaneous division. 

 When a large individual has been a good while adherent 

 to one spot, and at length chooses to change its quarters, 

 it does so by causing its base to glide slowly along the 

 surface on which it rests ; the glass side of the tank, 

 for instance. But it frequently happens that small 

 irregular fragments of the edge of the base are left 

 behind, as if their adhesion had been so strong, that 



1 See my History of the British Sea-anemones. 



2 Actinoloba dianthus. 



