227 



FAMILY VL— ILYANTHID^E. 



"When Johnston published his second edition of the 

 " British Zoophytes," a single Free Anemone alone was 

 recognised : I shall have to include in the family at least 

 a dozen, known to inhabit our seas, with two or three 

 others as yet obscurely indicated ; a number considerably 

 greater than M. Milne Edwards assigns to the whole world, 

 in his " Histoire Naturelle des Coralliaires," published 

 little more than a year ago. 



The Ilyanthidce form a very natural group, readily dis- 

 tinguished by the important character, that, they possess 

 no adherent base ; the column, which is generally length- 

 ened, terminating below in a rounded, often more or less 

 retractile, extremity. Hence they are characteristically 

 unattached ; but many of the species, perhaps all, possess 

 an adherent power in the entire surface of the column, by 

 means of which they can readily crawl over a solid body. 

 Most of them inhabit tubes, which may be membranous 

 and free, as in Cerianthus ; membranous and investing 

 epidermically, as in Edwardsia ; or mere burrows in the 

 sand or mud, as in Halcampa, Peackia, and Hyanthus, 

 Most of them have the habit of distending the hinder part 

 of the column with water, assuming the form of a blown 

 bladder. 



A remarkably vigorous and spasmodic contractility in 

 this family indicates a more intense muscular force, and 

 points to a higher physiological rank, than the preceding 

 families possess. 



Q 2 



