a ncju Marine AnimaL ^^5 



they are hardly fllfcernible, through the water, from the com- 

 mon furface of the braln-ftone ; but when in fearch of food 

 they throw out two cones, with membranes twifled round 

 them in a fpiral manner, which have a loole fringed tdge, 

 looking at the bottom of the fea like two flowers ; and in this 

 Hate they were dlfcovered. 



The fpecies of Acllnia called in Barbadoes the Animal 

 Flower, and common to many parts of that ifland, altliough 

 rarely before {esn on this part of the coaft, was now found in 

 confiderable numbers in this {hoal water. 



The animal was firfl: obferved by Captain Hendie, the officer 

 commanding Fort Charles, in looking for (liells which were 

 thrown up in great num^bers from the bottom of the harbour. 

 He found a piece of brain-flone containing three of them in 

 different parts of it. Some little time after, I was lucky enough 

 to find another brain-flone with two in it ; one of them is the 

 fpecimen in your poffeffion ; the other was deflined for exami- 

 nation, of which the following is the account. 



The animal, when taken out of the fhell, including the two 

 cones and their membranes, is five inches in length ; of which 

 the body is three inches and three-quarters, and the apparatus for 

 catching its prey, which may be confidered as its tentacula, 

 about an inch and a quarter. 



The body of the animal is attached to its fhell, for about 

 three-quarters of an inch in length, at the anterior part where 

 the two cones arife, by means of two cartilaginous fubftances* 

 with one fide adapted to the body of the animal, the other to 

 the internal furface of the (hell : the refl of the body is unat- 

 tached, of a darkifh white colour, about half an inch broad, a 

 little flattened, and rather narrower towards the tail. The 

 mufcular fibres upon its back are tranfverfe ; thofe on the belly 

 Vol. LXXV. Y y longi- 



