284 CAPNEAD^E. 



In August, 1856, the Rev. J. P. Greenly, being on a 

 visit to Ilfracombe, found in a crevice of the slaty rock at 

 Bull Point, at extreme low water, this magnificent species, 

 which lived in his possession till the following April. To 

 his courtesy I owe copious descriptions and drawings made 

 from the animal while in life and health ; by which I am 

 enabled to draw up the foregoing diagnosis. I forwarded 

 to him for comparison some drawings which I had by me 

 of Mr. Thompson's Corynactis heterocera ; and the agree- 

 ment of the two forms in all essentials, and especially in 

 the singular shapes of the diverse tentacles, showed that 

 they were of one and the same genus, which was thus 

 proved to have characters that called for its separation from 

 Corynactis. At the period last named my kind corre- 

 spondent forwarded the specimen to me : but it was already 

 dead; and while it retained its form and colour, I was 

 precluded from adding anything to my knowledge from 

 personal observation. 



In captivity the animal was lively and extremely sensi- 

 tive, retracting its disk with remarkable suddenness and 

 rapidity on alarm. It early crawled from the piece of slate 

 on which it was captured, and took up a position on the 

 side of a finger-glass in which it was kept. The tentacles 

 were observed to vary the shape of their knobs, within 

 slight limits: one here and there in the outer row occa- 

 sionally approaching the hastate form of the next row. 



sanguinea. 



AUGUSTA. 



heterocera. 



