THE OKAXGE-DISKED ANEMONE. 63 



" On the south side of this wall, almost at its base, on a 

 rough mass of rock so covered with luxuriant tufts of Dulse 

 {Rkodymenia palmata) as to be richly empurpled with it, 

 I found a little basin, somewhat irregular in outline, but 

 rudely oval, about a foot long, eight inches wide, and sis 

 inches deep; in other words, about the size of a soup- 

 tureen. It was much obscured by overhanging drapery of 

 Fucus ; but, on lifting this, I was astonished and delighted 

 with the profusion of animal life, whose gay and varied 

 hues gave to the tiny area the appearance of an artist's 

 newly-rubbed palette. 



"Lest I should seem to exaggerate if I reported the 

 contents of this basin from memory, I took the trouble to 

 count the specimens, noting each sort in my pocket-book 

 on the spot. Their numbers were, — nineteen of the bril- 

 liant Orange-disk (Sagartia venusta), and twelve of the 

 Snowy (S. nivea), all fully blown ; besides two large Shore- 

 Crabs (Carcinus mamas), a Shanny (Blennius pholis), a 

 Cynthia, several Sabella>, a group of Sdbellaria alveolate, 

 some very fine masses of Botrylloides, and many specimens 

 of the Crown Sponge (Grant ia cih'ata). 



'• 2s or was this extraordinary pool less rich in its botany 

 than in its zoology. Chondrus crispus, finely tipped with 

 steel-blue, as usual; the Common Coralline (Corallina 

 officinalis), purpling the sides and bottom ; some small 

 fronds of Rhodymenia palmata, and one or two tiny ones of 

 Laminaria saccharina, — which is particularly pretty while 

 it is young, — were there ; as also two other kinds of superior 

 elegance, namely, Delesseria ruscifoh'a, with its oak-like 

 leaves of fine dark crimson, and the pretty rich-green 

 feathers of Bryopsis plumosa. Besides all these, there 

 were other plants and animals of less note, which I did not 

 enumerate." * 



* Tenby; a Sea-side Holiday; 96, ei seq. 



