678 



THE SEA-ANEMONE AND THE BEADLET. 



imal kiDgdom, many of them bear a singularly close resemblance to 

 vegetable forms. Their substance is always gelatinous and fleshy, and 

 round the entrance to the stomach are set certain tentacles, used in 

 catching prey and conveying it to the stomach. These tentacles are 

 armed with myriads of offensive weapons contained in little capsules, 

 and capable of being discharged with great force. Organs of sight, 

 smell, taste, and hearing seem to be totally absent, though it is possible 





The Jelly-fish {Medusa ^quorea). 



that an extended sense of touch may compensate the creature for these 

 deficiencies. 



The highest form of true Zoophyte is undoubtedly that which is sc 

 familiar under the name of Sea-anemone — a name singularly inappro- 

 priate, inasmuch as the resemblance to an anemone is very far-fetched, 

 while that to the chrysanthemum, daisy, or dandelion is very close. 



A widely-spread Anemone, with the circlet of pearl-like beads at 

 the base of its tentacles, is the well-known Beadlet, the most com- 

 mon of all this order on the British coasts. It is a singularly hardy 

 species, living mostly on the rocks that lie between high- and low-water 

 mark. It is perhaps more variable in color than any of the British 



