THE CAVE-DWELLING ANEMONE. 99 



inch. No result, however, followed the discharge, and 

 they soon decomposed. 



Dr. Byerly, however, has succeeded in rearing the young 

 of this species ; but from ciliated germs, not from ova. 

 Some specimens which he found numerous on the Leasowe 

 shore of the Mersey, threw off many germs, which could be 

 plainly seen through the skin at the base. These made 

 their exit through " breaches of continuity in the outer 

 envelope near its junction with the basal disk, and some- 

 times through ragged apertures in the base itself." The 

 germs were about as large as a pin's head, perfectly 

 globular, and had a very sluggish motion. Three or four 

 were put into a wide-mouthed bottle and stopped : after 

 two months, one had developed a perfect Actinia, the ten- 

 tacles being fully expanded. At the time of the record it 

 had lived six months ; but having never been fed, it had 

 not visibly grown.* 



Since the former observations were made, I have proved 

 this species (contrary to what has been asserted of the 

 Actinoids) to be hermaphrodite. The variety in this case 

 was the exquisite one I have named melanoleuca (see PI. 

 V. fig. 5), a large specimen received about a week before 

 from Morecambe. 



On the 26th of May, this individual, on being put into 

 fresh sea-water, instantly made it turbid. I took it out in 

 the course of the day, and isolated it in a small glass tank 

 of clear water. Presently this also became quite turbid, as 

 if milk had been mixed with it, while clouds of the white 

 fluid were seen floating about the animal. On the vessel 

 being shaken, and again on my touching the Anemone, it 

 contracted ; and, on each occasion, a stream of white fluid, 

 almost as opaque as milk, shot up from the mouth, and 

 slowly diffused itself in the surrounding water. 

 * Edin. New Phil. Journ.; Jan. 1855. 

 H 2 



