188 



♦ KNOWLKDGE ♦ 



[8£FT. 21, 1883. 



dividuals there is only a sinj;le radius and one tentacle of 

 this character, and in others there is no trace of either. 

 The lips are rather thin and minutely furrowed. 



There are two principal varieties of bellis, distinguished 

 by the colour of its disk — one a dark chocolate brown, 

 closely and evenly striped with bright scarlet, radiating 

 from the centre to the edge. The lip in this variety is 

 tinged with violet, and the tentacles are of a rich brown 

 colour, relieved with blue-grey and opaque white 



The other variety is of a tamer brown, in several shades, 

 relieved with grey and opaque white, and occasionally 

 enlivened with light blue tints. There is a good coloured 

 representation of this variety — disk, column, and button — 

 in Gosse's " Ilambles on the Devonshire Coast," p. 28, pi. 1. 



Fig. 2. The calyx, d;c. — The calyx and the upper half of 

 the pedunculus — i.e., the stem — are studded with the 

 whitish protuberances called warts, which are suckers. To 

 these ordinarily, when the animal is first captured, sand- 

 grains and fragments of shells are attached, and ettectually 

 conceal the parts so covered. When unobscured, the calyx 

 is found to be grey, inclining to blue, which is toned down 

 along the stem to whitish lirown, and not mifrequently 

 to a beautiful pink. The foot is invariably expanded, and 

 very irregular in its outline. 



The figure is extremely variable, and some curious 

 examples of its variations are given in Dr. Johnston's 

 " British Zoophytes," 2nd edition, p. 231. Within the 

 space of a single hour Bellis will present a great variety of 

 shapes. This Protean mutability of form is effected in two 

 ways. First, by distension of the body with water until 

 it nearly equals the disk in diameter ; and, in the next 

 place, by constricting itself in one part and constantly 

 moving the position of this constriction. 



When extended to the utmost limit the stem is slender 

 and perfectly cylindrical. 



Bellis is usually found in clusters of at least four or five 

 individuals in each cluster, and crowded together in the 

 same crevices or fissures, where their expanded disks press 

 upon each other and form a continuous row of flower-like 

 bodies. 



Cornwall is called the metropolis of the English species. 

 In Mount's Bay and along the Cornish coast daisy is the 

 commonest of its genus. It is a littoral dwelling animal, 

 and seldom met with except between tidal limits. Mr. 

 Cocks (Johnston lU supra) points out that pretty Daisy 

 will sometimes forsake those " wells of pure water " — the 

 tidal pools — for what he describes as little better than a 

 Stygian bog. " I found the beach," he writes, "composed 

 of mud, sand, and decomposed algie ; many of the stones 

 when lifted presented a face as black as the skin of an 

 African, and sent forth a rich aroma of sulphuretted 



hydrogen. In turning the stones over, I was astonished to 

 find in this Pandorian locality herds of the Actinia bellis in 

 prime condition — ^jackets as red as a Kentish cherry — 

 tubercles on external portion of the disk, light neutral 

 tint, and strongly marked — so pugnacious that, when 

 touched, water issued in full streams from nearly all the 

 ducts or apertures. The ground is literally covered with 

 them. The oral disk and the tentacula present a variety 

 of tints — dark Virown, light fawn, dark and light ochre, 

 cream, etc. ; all the tentacula (one excepted) are annulated. 

 Each individual (I have fourteen in my bottles) has the 

 ochre-coloured or white tentaculum — nearly one-third 

 larger than any of the others — making one of the central 

 row ; and a white or liuff mark, or line, extends from it to 

 the angle of the mouth on each side." 



Bellis is almost invariably stationary, rarely quitting its 

 home or corner to which it has once become attached. 

 Besides being able to produce the convolutions of calyx 

 and peduncle, already described, it occasionally projects its 

 disk and lips, which movement is called pouting, and it can 

 retract completely both tentacles and disk when it appears 

 in button form. 



A curious habit, through not peculiar to Daisy, is thus 

 described by Mr. E. W. H. Wordsworth : — "I have seen 

 the elongation of one of the tentacles of the first row in 

 Bellis. The ordinary shape and proportions were retained, 

 but the arm was stretched to more than twice its natural 

 length, yet without any appearance of unnatural tension 

 or straining ; it was constantly in motion, apparently feeling 

 about for something, but assumed its usual size after a few 

 hours." 



Another observer noticed a tentacle on each extremity 

 of the disk's diameter thrown out until the two together 

 commanded an area of fully six inches in length by four in 

 width. The space within this area was minutely examined 

 by moving each tentacle in numerous circles and various 

 elegant curves. The object of this singular movement was 

 tested by placing a scrap of meat within reach of one of 

 the elongated tentacles, when it was immediately seized 

 and conveyed to the mouth. 



(To he continued.) 



JACK KETCH. 



By Richard A. Proctor. 



WHAT a pleasing effect the newspaper references to 

 the " conmion hangman " are calculated to produce. 

 Formerly, the subject was not considered very suitable for re- 

 spectable papers. We could take up our Tinu's, or Daily Nev;s, 

 or Standard, with the assurance that, except in the accounts 

 of executions, we should find no reference to the common 

 hangman. Lately it has been dift'erent. One day we 

 learned how the wretch who last held the office employed 

 his leisure time ; another day we were told how he had 

 been allowed to visit the Houses of Parliament, and how 

 among the 66G (or whatever the actual number) who repre- 

 sent the collective wisdom of our legislature, several showed 

 marked attention to the degraded ruffian who had delibe- 

 rately selected man-killing as part of the business of his life; 

 next we hear of the details of his illness as if some great 

 statesman or public benefactor were nearing his end ; and 

 now, with atrocious ill taste several of our daily papers 

 (papers which may be laid each morning on the tables 

 round which our A^ives and daughters sit) repeat the 

 ghastly communications sent in by the murderous brutes 

 who wish to be the next of our common hangmen ! Truly 

 those who provide matter for our journals are strangely 



