38o 



THE NATURE BOOK 



THE "BEADLET" OR "STRAWBERRY" ANEMONE. 



Although the Anemones move too slowly 

 to "go a-hunting," they are neverthe- 

 less fully equipped with a very wonder- 

 ful apparatus for capturing the various 

 creatures on which they feed. This 

 apparatus consists of almost countless 

 complex sting-cells or Nematocysts (from 

 the Greek nema', a thread, and cyst, 

 a cell), which cover the waving, sensitive 

 tentacles. Within each of these cehs 

 is coiled a fine thread which terminates 

 in several sharp barbs, and is kept 

 in its coiled position 

 within the cell by a 

 curious little " trigger " 

 hair. Now when a tiny 

 shrimp, or other denizen 

 of the sea, in its wan- 

 derings approaches an 

 Anemone and brushes 

 against one of the wav- 

 ing tentacles, it touches 

 a number of these trig- 

 ger hairs, with the result 

 that the sting-cells in- 

 stantly contract and 

 shoot out the barbed 

 hairs, which penetrate 

 and stick into the flesh 

 or skin of the unsus- 

 pecting victim, and at 

 the same time an irri- 

 tant fluid is injected 

 which causes paralysis 

 or death to a small 

 animal. The more the 

 victim jerks about, the 



more sting-cells are shot forth 

 into its body ; the tentacles 

 close upon it, and the unfor- 

 tunate creature is thrust down 

 into the hungry and expan- 

 sive mouth of the Anemone. 



In the tidal pools on rocky 

 shores may be found the 

 beautiful Opelet or Snake- 

 locked Anemone {Anthea 

 cereits), which varies in colour 

 from grass green to drab, 

 according to its environment. 

 The tentacles of this Anemone 

 are long and slender, and are 

 kept constantly moving. 

 Fairly common on the south 

 and west coasts of England 

 are the Daisy Anemones. 

 When fully expanded, they have a long, 

 slender body, with a broad, flat, circular 

 disc, and small, numerous, white-spotted, 

 yellow-brown tentacles, while the outside 

 of the disc and body are dotted with 

 small white warts. 



The largest and most gorgeously 

 coloured of our native Anemones is the 

 handsome Dahlia Anemone (Tealia cras- 

 sicornis), which measures from four to 

 eight or nine inches across its extended 

 tentacles. It varies considerably in 



THE SNAKE-LOCKED ANEMONE. 



