THE SEA ANEMONE. 89 



water. Round its sides at different depths, seldom 

 exceeding eighteen inches, are seen at all times of 

 the year, issuing out of little holes, certain sub- 

 stances that have the appearance of fine radiated 

 flowers, of a pale yellow, or a bright straw colour, 

 slightly tinged with green, having a circular border 

 of thickset petals, about the size of, and much re- 

 sembling, those of a single garden marigold, except 

 that the whole of this seeming flower is narrower at 

 the setting on of the leaves than any flower of that 

 kind." 



After describing various unsuccessful efforts to 

 capture one, the same writer adds : 



" I once cut off with a knife which I had held 

 for a long time out of sight near the mouth of a 

 hole out of which one of these animals appeared 

 two of these seeming leaves. These, when out of 

 the water, retained their shape and colour ; but 

 being composed of a membrane-like substance, sur- 

 prisingly thin, it soon shrivelled up and decayed. 

 Many people coming to see these strange creatures, 

 and occasioning some inconvenience to a person 

 through whose grounds they were obliged to pass, 

 he resolved to destroy the objects of their curiosity. 

 That he might do so effectually, he caused all the 

 holes out of which they appeared, to be carefully 

 bored and drilled with an iron instrument, so that 

 we cannot suppose but their bodies must have been 

 entirely crushed to a pulp ; nevertheless, they ap- 

 peared in a few weeks from the very same places." 



G 



