A GOOD COLLECTING GKOUND. 



AMONGST the most beautiful and in- 

 ,z\. teresting treasures of the rock pools 

 are the Sea Anemones. They are 

 very numerous, and one should have but 

 little difficulty in collecting quite half a 

 dozen different kinds on any rocky coast 

 during a holiday by the sea. 



Perhaps the most familiar of them is the 

 pretty little "Beadlef'or "Strawberry" 

 Anemone {Actinia mescmhryanthemum), 

 which is to be found on most shores, 

 attached to stones, seaweed, timber, 

 or the sides of the rock pools. When 

 closed the Beadlet Anemone looks for 

 all the world like a little rounded, dark 

 red or greenish lump of jelly, soft and 

 slimy to the touch, and adhering so 

 firmly to the rock or timber as to be 

 difficult of removal without injury. The 

 best plan is to chip off the piece of rock 



to which it is fixed, or if the Anemone 

 is attached to soft chalk or timber, to 

 work gently with a knife so as to cut 

 away a thin layer of the substance to 

 which it adheres. If we now transfer our 

 treasure to a glass vessel filled with fresh 

 sea-water, we shall presently see the little 

 lump of jelly expand, and the numerous 

 feelers, or tentacles, spread out in a 

 circle round the disc, in the centre of 

 which is the hungry mouth of the little 

 creature. If we look carefulh', we shall 

 see that where the outside set of tentacles 

 join the side of the body there is a curious 

 fold of skin which goes all round the 

 Anemone's body, and that between this 

 fold and the tentacles there is a series 

 of beautiful bright blue, beadlike bodies 

 from which the little creature takes its 

 popular name. 



379 



