152 THE OCEAN WORLD. 



and offer no solid foundation, large specimens are never found on them. 

 In its young state the animal is naked, and measures about the fifteenth 

 of an inch in diameter, and about the thirty-second of an inch in 

 height. In the earliest state in which I have seen the calcareous 

 polypidom, there were four small rays, which were free or unconnected 

 down to the base ; in others I have noticed six primary rays, but in 

 every case they were unconnected with each other. Other rays soon 

 make their appearance between those first formed; they are mere 

 calcareous specks at first, but afterwards increase in size. The first 

 union of rays is- observed as a small calcareous rim at the base of the 

 polyp, which afterwards increases in height and diameter with the 

 age of the animal." 



The animals of this interesting polypidom are vividly described by 

 Dr. Coldstream, in a communication to Dr. Johnston, as he observed 

 them at Torquay : 



" When the soft parts are fully expanded," he says> " the appear- 

 ance of the whole animal closely resembles an actinia. When shrunk, 

 they are almost entirely hid amongst the radiating plates. They are 

 found pendent," he adds^ " from large boulders of sandstone, just at 

 low- water mark. Sometimes they are dredged from the middle of the 

 bay. Their colour varies considerably. I have seen the soft parts 

 white, yellowish, orange-brown, reddish, and of a fine apple-green. 

 The tentacula are usually paler." 



The Caryophillise are sometimes dredged from great depths ; Pro- 

 fessor Travers dredged one in eighty fathoms, and Dr. Johnston re- 

 marks that the existence of an animal so vividly coloured at so great a 

 depth is worthy of remark. " When taken," says the professor, " the 

 animal was scarcely visible, being contracted; when expanded, the 

 disk was conspicuously marked by two dentated circles of bright apple- 

 green, the one marginal and outside the tentacula, the other at some 

 distance from the transverse and linear mouth. In the dark, the 

 animal gave out a few dull flashes of phosphorescent light." 



In addition, we may mention the assertion of Mr. Swainson, that 

 C. ramea, common in the Mediterranean, is occasionally found on the 

 Cornish coast ; but Dr. Johnston thinks it improbable that it could 

 have escaped the attention of Mr. Couch and Mr. Peach, had it been so. 

 As belonging to this family, we present here illustrations of Fla- 

 lellum pavoninum, Lesson (Fig. 67). 



