VOL. LXV.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 041 



polypus. In the course of my experiments, the small pieces cut off from the 

 bases and robes of the anemonies did not exceed the 5CK)th part of the animal ; 

 it is not therefore to be wondered, if many of them did not prove prolific ; 

 they probably contained none of the fertile bulbs. The reproduction of the 

 polypus by section will then no longer be attributed to any of its rude and shape- 

 less parts ; but rather to parts that are organized in a particular manner, to eggs, 

 or perhaps to something more than eggs. The singular propagation of several 

 kinds of this animal seems to favour this conjecture. In so minute an object as 

 the fresh-water polypus, much is easily overlooked ; but in the sea anemonies, 

 though we are far from seeing every thing, yet it is possible, even without the 

 assistance of glasses, to discern a great deal which must escape us in the most 

 diligent examination of the other animal. The first observation of any note, 

 was made on the l6th of June 1773. The animals of this species being very 

 large, I only operated on young ones, and on that day cut one that was not 

 thicker than a goose-quill. On the 30th the upper part was perfectly restored, 

 and the fold which is seen near the upper extremity of the body of this species, 

 appeared exactly like that I had cut off. By practice I arrived at such dexterity 

 as to cut in two, at one snip of the shears, in a very straight line, an animal of 

 this species as thick as my arm. This was performed on the 18th of October: 

 before the end of the month new limbs appeared, of which the large ones, 

 within the tufts, shot forth long before the others. On the 10th of December 

 the animal began to eat, though its mouth was scarcely formed. The upper 

 part was still alive. I tied a string round some of these anemonies while they 

 were considerably extended lengthwise, and pulled the noose very tight. They 

 had the dexterity to free themselves in a few hours of this troublesome ligament, 

 by gradually withdrawing their upper extremity : then on measuring the noose I 

 found it not quite 6 lines in diameter. This species is good to eat. 



Among the sea anemonies brought by the fishermen, I have some reason to 

 think that I have discovered a 3th species, which seems to reside only in places 

 from which the sea seldom recedes. They appeared to be as small as those of 

 the first species : their limbs, which are somewhat confusedly arranged in 3 rows, 

 are also nearly the same. They have the form and the knobs of the 2d, and 

 the threads of the 4th species, which latter however are coloured. Their 

 mouths are round, and bordered with small reddish limbs ; only 1 white spot is 

 seen on one side of the mouth, whereas 2 of them appear in those of the 3d 

 species. The middle between the mouth and the limbs is of a greenish hue, 

 with narrow variegated streaks extending from the centre to the circumference. 

 The specimens I have seen were white on the superior edge of the robe, of a 

 golden yellow in the middle, inclining to a duskier colour towards the bottom ; 

 that is, the ground-colour of the robe changed gradually, from white at the top 



VOL. xiu. 4N 



