80 SAGARTIAD.E. 



that they were but varying phases of the same species 

 and, as he kindly gave me an opportunity of forming 

 judgment by presenting me with a specimen of eacl 

 colour, I concur with him in this opinion, and have accord- 

 ingly so represented them. 



Some of my friend's observations on this minute species, 

 — made in the course of a correspondence concerning its 

 claim to be so considered, — will be read with interest. 

 " Pallida is certainly not Candida [= sphyrodetd]. I have 

 now seen, and know both well, and can readily point out 

 the distinctions. Pallida may be easily taken for a young 

 dianthus at first sight, having a smooth skin, with a rather 



erect body, and long pellucid filiform tentacles The 



basal rings on [? around] the arms of pallida are even 

 narrower than in Candida, and have no direct communi- 

 cation with the edge of the disk ; nor is there any appear- 

 ance of a spot; their colour is almost black, but with 

 a purplish tinge. The disk is quite transparent. The 

 original specimens were almost colourless, but later captures 

 were of a reddish burl, like some of dianthus ; and one of 

 these, not more than half an inch in expanse, produced 

 about a dozen young ones, about an eighth of an inch in 

 height, — slender little things, with tentacles almost erect. 

 They resembled their parent in form and colour, as far as 

 could be seen in such minute creatures. There was no 

 other Actinia besides the red pallida in the glass at the 

 time, and the young ones adhered to the side of the glass 

 vase, immediately surrounding the larger specimen, so that 



I had no doubt of their origin I have more than 



once suspected that pallida was merely the young of 

 dianthus : but surely the latter would not breed when only 

 half an inch high." I may add that the characteristic 

 lines of blue, though minute, are a sufficient distinction of 

 the species. 



