206 THR OCEAN WORLD. 



tenacity, throwing out (according to Gaertner) of their whole surface 

 a number of extremely minute suckers, which, sticking fast to the 

 small protuberances of the skin, produce the sensation of roughness, 

 which is so far from being painful that it even cannot be called 

 disagreeable. 



The size of the prey is frequently in unseemly disproportion to 

 the preyer, being often equal in bulk to itself. I had once brought 

 me a specimen of Actinia crassicornis, that might have been originally 

 two inches in diameter, which had somehow contrived to swallow a 

 valve of Pecten maximus of the size of an ordinary saucer. The shell, 

 fixed within the stomach, was so placed as to divide it completely 

 into two halves, so that the body, stretched tensely over, had become 

 thin and flattened like a pancake. All communication between the 

 inferior portion of the stomach and the mouth was of course pre- 

 vented ; yet, instead of emaciating and dying of atrophy, the animal 

 had availed itself of what undoubtedly had been a very untoward 

 accident to increase its enjoyment and its chance of double fare. A 

 new mouth, furnished with two rows of numerous tentacula, was 

 opened up on what had been the base, and led to the under stomach ; 

 the individual had indeed become a sort of Siamese Twin, but with 

 greater intimacy and extent in its unions !" 



The sea anemones pass nearly all their life fixed to some rock, to 

 which they seem to take root. There they live a sort of unconscious 

 and obtuse existence, gifted with an instinct so obscure that they are 

 not even conscious of the prey in their vicinity until it is actually in 

 contact, when it seizes it in its mouth and swallows it. Nevertheless, 

 though habitually adherent, they can move, gliding and creeping 

 slowly by successive contractile and relaxing movements of the body, 

 extending one edge of their base and relaxing the opposite one. 



At the approach of cold weather the Actinia are said to descend 

 into the deepest water, where they find a more agreeable tem- 

 perature. 



We have said that the sea anemones are scarcely possessed of 

 vital instinct ; but they are capable of certain voluntary movements. 

 Under the influence of light, they expand their tentacles as the daisy 

 displays its florets. If the animal is touched, or the water is agitated 

 in its neighbourhood, the tentacles close immediately. These 

 tentacles appear occasionally to serve the purpose of offensive arms. 

 The hand of the man who has touched them becomes red and 

 inflamed. M. Hollard has seen small mackerel, two to three inches 

 long, perish when touched by the tentacles of the Green Actinia 

 (Corynactis viridis, Allman). This is a charming little animal. 



