HALF AN HOUR WITH SEA- ANEMONES. 127 



Its generic name of Sagrarfia, given to it by Mr. 

 Gosse, is in allusion to the method of disabling its 

 prey, already alluded to, and is taken from the fol- 

 lowing historical fact. Herodotus informs us that 

 in the army of Xerxes there was a certain race of 

 warriors called " Sagartians," from their peculiar 

 mode of fighting. When they engaged an enemy, 

 they threw out a rope with a noose at the end. 

 Anything a Sagartian caught, whether horse or 

 man, was dragged towards himself, and those 

 entangled in the coils were speedily put to death. 

 From what has been said, it will be seen that there 

 is something more than mere poetical figure in thus 

 giving to the "Daisy" its generic name. Along 

 the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, the " Daisy 

 Anemone " is very abundant, the rock-pools being 

 literally lined with it, as its terrestrial namesake 

 carpets the fields in May. A curious habit possessed 

 by it is that of being able to elongate one of its 

 tentacles to a great length, whilst the others 

 remain of the ordinary dimensions. Nearly allied 

 to the " Daisy " is the " Cave Anemone " (Fig. 64), 

 a name it well deserves from its hermit-like habits, 

 It is one of the most variable of all our British sea- 

 anemones, more than twenty varieties of colours 

 having been published. It is also one of the most 

 abundant and widely distributed of all the species. 

 And yet, in spite of its great variability, there is 

 very little difficulty in determining and recognising 

 it. A characteristic mark is usually present on the 



