466 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 17/3. 



ate nor kept the bits of muscles he gave it. A 4th row was growing out on the 

 IQth, which gathered strength by degrees; so that on the 3d of October it began 

 to eat, and in a short time became a complete animal. On September the 22d, 

 the upper part appeared to be withering away. But he soon saw how much he 

 had reason to think he was mistaken. 



He cut another anemone, of the same species, across the middle of the body, 

 in such a manner as that the 2 parts were only left hanging together by one- 

 fourth part of the diameter. His design was, to try whether nature would pro- 

 duce limbs on the edge of the lower half-part, in the same manner as when the 

 body is cut quite asunder ; or whether the wound, though very deep, would heal 

 up again. Nature was not wanting to itself; for, notwithstanding the largeness 

 of the incision, the 2 severed parts were joined up together, and in a few days 

 the wound was healed up. The animal did not even seem to have suffered so 

 much as one might have expected. 



Mr. D. witnessed a fact remarkable enough to be inserted here. Having sliced 

 a bit of fish, he offered one end of it to an anemone, whose limbs are of the 

 melon-yellow colour, and the other end to a grey anemone, whose suj)erior part 

 had been reproduced after it had been cut off. The 2 insects, whicii were adher- 

 ing pretty near each other at the bottom of the glass, directly seized their prey 

 with their arms ; but the yellow one happened to lay hold of the larger share of 

 the slice. Each swallowed on, by the respective ends, till at last each other's 

 mouth came within contact. The grey one seemed at first to get the better; 

 but the other soon recovered her share, then lost it again, and again recovered 

 it. These alternate victories lasted about 3 hours: and there was a time, during 

 which the yellow anemone was nearly worsted; till at last, the grey one losing 

 hold of her end of the slice, the other carried off the prize. Yet, as she sucked 

 in but slowly, the grey one ventured with her mouth on a last tug at her end, 

 still in sight, which she had slipped; but this fresh effort proved fruitless; the 

 yellow champion gave a last pull, and swallowed down the whole. During this 

 whole strife, the two parties did not seem to be animated by any other passion 

 than that of snatching the slice of fish from each other; and though the 2 ani- 

 mals continued afterwards to remain neighbours, they lived very quiet and peace- 

 ably together. 



These animals are sometimes very voracious. Could it be believed that the 

 same creature that can continue in pretty good plight for a whole year, and 

 perhaps longer, without taking in any other food, besides what may be dissemi- 

 nated in the sea-water, and does not seem very active to lay hold of its prey, but 

 rather waits patiently till chance throws it within reach of its limbs; that this 

 animal should still be so greedy as to gulp down 2 whole muscles, which he gave 

 to one of them by piece meal, and burst the next day with indigestion, when it 



