192 



THE OCEAN WORLD. 



Mr. Couch, jun., is found along the Cornish coast, on flat slates and 

 rocks, in deep water, and from one to ten leagues from the shore. It 

 is very small, resembling, both in shape and size, a split pea. When 

 living, its surface is plain but glandular, becoming corrugated when 

 preserved. When semi-expanded, which is its favourite state, it 

 elevates itself to twice its ordinary height, becoming contracted about 

 the middle, like an hour-glass. When the creature is fully expanded, 



Fig. 81. Phyllactus praetexta (Dana), natural size. 



the tentacula become distended and elongated to about the length of 

 the transverse diameter of the body ; and they are generally darker at 

 their extremities than towards the base. Like all the Actiniadae, the 

 present species possess a power of considerably altering their shape ; 

 sometimes the mouth is depressed, and at others it is elevated into an 

 obtuse cone. " This is one of the most inactive of its order," says 

 Mr. A. Couch ; " for, whether in a state of contraction or expansion, 

 it will remain so for many days without apparent change. In its ex- 

 panded state a touch will make it contract, and it will commonly remain 



