THE SANDY CEEEPLET. 301 



be two species of the same uncommon genus, having so 

 many points in common, found in so close proximity as the 

 Devon and Cornwall coasts, and yet there are glaring dis- 

 crepancies between Mr. R. Q. Couch's published descrip- 

 tions and the characters of our animal. He describes the 

 surface as " glandular," the form as frequently "contracted 

 to an hour-glass shape," and as being very versatile ; the 

 habit as sluggish, and slow to change ; the tentacles as 

 " darker at the extremities than at the base ; " not one of 

 which particulars do our specimens confirm. 



My first personal acquaintance with the species I owed 

 to Mr. Holds worth, who dredged several colonies in twelve 

 fathoms, off the Ore Stone, near Torquay, in October, 1858, 

 where further researches show it to be quite common. They 

 were of the variety linearis, affixed to fragments of slate 

 and old valves of Cardium rusticum, twenty or thirty 

 polypes on each, running in sinuous bands from half a line 

 to three lines apart in the series. The colonies meandered 

 over both surfaces of the fragments. 



One of these colonies my friend kindly gave to me, and 

 it has lived now ten months with me. The polypes are 

 by no means sluggish, but are continually opening and 

 closing with considerable vivacity. When completely con- 

 tracted, each polype is a cylindrical button, with the summit 

 round and depressed in the centre. As expansion proceeds, 

 the centre evolves, and the summit becomes nearly flat, 

 with the twelve or fourteen strongly marked marginal 

 ridges radiating from the central orifice. The central aper- 

 ture enlarges, and the white tips of the tentacles are seen 

 protruding, and presently the tentacles themselves, blunt 

 and pellucid white, which soon arch outwardly. 



They feed readily on raw flesh or earthworms, but will 

 take only very minute fragments. These, however light 

 their contact, cause the tentacles to retract ; but if the 



