ACTINIA OR BRA-ANEMONE. 493 



examination, to consist more in the relative development of the 

 different parts, than in any fundamental change in their arrange- 

 ment. The animal still consists principally of a stomach ; this 

 is provided with but one orifice, the mouth, which is fringed with 

 numerous tentacula. Instead, however, of the delicate membrane 

 composing the walls of the stomach in the Hydra, we have a 

 dense fleshy sac, possessed of considerable firmness, but still very 

 extensible. And, instead of the few long filamentous tentacula, 

 we have a large number of short fleshy arms, arranged in several 

 circles round the mouth. Further, instead of the prolonged 

 pedicle or foot, with the minute sucker at its extremity, which 

 has been described in the Hydra, we observe in the Actinia an 

 expanded fleshy disk, which forms the whole base of the animal, 

 and which is of size sufficient to take a very firm attachment to 

 the rocks upon which it is fixed. The whole body may be 

 likened to that of the Hydra in its most contracted state. When 

 the Actinia closes its mouth, folds in its tentacula, and draws 

 together the upper part of its body, it presents an almost hemi- 

 spherical form the flat side being attached to the rock, and the 

 mouth being just visible at its summit ; but when the animal 

 expands itself, the body represents a short cylinder, the mouth 

 becomes as wide as the base, and the fringes of tentacula display 

 their brilliant colours to the light of day. The arrangement and 

 appearance of these so much correspond with that of the petals 

 of double flowers, still more with that of the flowerets of the 

 Composite tribe, that it is by no means surprising that the 

 uninformed observer should almost always regard this being as 

 a member of the Vegetable Kingdom. The movements it exhi- 

 bits are not, when superficially considered, very different from 

 those which take place in certain Plants ; and there is nothing 

 ridiculous, therefore, in the appellation given to it by Hughes, 

 who, in his Natural History of Barbadoes (a work published 

 before the distinctions between the Animal and Vegetable King- 

 doms were properly understood), denominates it a sensitive plant 

 having animal properties. 



1059. The Actinia are found on the shores of every sea. As 

 in other tribes, each species has its peculiar haunt. In general, 



VOL. II. t L 



