212 THE OCEAN WORLD. 



about three inches long, and one and a half in diameter, and about 

 five inches when fully expanded ; the skin is smooth, of a uniform 

 olive, whitish, cream, or flesh colour. The centre of the disc is 

 ornamented with a circle of white bands, radiating from the mouth, 

 the lamellae running across the circumference being perceptible 

 through the transparent skin. From the narrow colourless inter- 

 spaces between the lamellae the tentacula originate. " They are 

 placed," says Dr. Johnston, " between the mouth and the margin, 

 which is encircled by a dense fringe of incontestable beauty, com- 

 posed of innumerable short tentacula or filaments, forming a thick, 

 furry border." In PLATE V., Figs. 9, 10, we have probably 

 Anthea cereus (Ellis), the body of which is a light chestnut colour, 

 smooth, sulcated lengthwise, with tentacula rising from the disc 

 to the number, in aged animals, of 200. Sagartia viduata, Gosse 

 (PLATE VI., Fig. 4), has the body adherent, cylindrical, destitute of 

 warts, emitting capsuliferous filaments from pores ; nettling-threads 

 short, densely armed with a brush of hairs ; tentacles above 200 

 arranged in five rows. A. picta, which Professor Edward Forbes 

 changed to Adamsia palliata, is described by Mr. Adams, who 

 first discovered it, "as longitudinally sulcated, having the edges 

 of the base crenated ; the lower part an obscure red, and the 

 upper part transparent white, marked with fine purple spots ; the 

 outer circumference of the aperture has a narrow stripe of pink. 

 When expanded, the superior division of the body seems formed of 

 membrane. From perforated warts placed without order on the 

 outer coat, issued white filamentous substances variously twisted 

 together. I have observed," he adds, " similar bodies ejected from 

 the mouths of all the species of this genus which have fallen within 

 my notice." This species is generally found adherent to the mouth 

 of turbinate shells of Gasteropods, which it sometimes invests with a 

 horny membrane. 



Actinia mesembryanthemum (Johnston). This species is extremely 

 common on rocks between the tide marks all round the coasts of 

 Great Britain and Ireland, as well as those of France. It attaches 

 itself chiefly to rocks beaten by the waves and exposed to view at 

 the time of low water. The body is from two to three inches in 

 height, and from an inch to an inch and a half in diameter ; hemi 

 spherical when contracted, it resembles a bell perforated at the 

 summit, dilated into a cylinder. When fully extended the tentacula 

 are nearly equal to the height of the body, of a uniform liver colour, 

 or olive green, and sometimes streaked with blue, having a greenish 

 line either continuous or in spots, the base generally of a greenish 



