75 



THE BEADLET. 



the varieties, the first is, in my eyes, the most beautiful. It is capable of much altera- 

 tion in its general form, shrinking to a mere shapeless fleshy mass, and looking by no 

 means a pleasing object ; expanding itself to the fullest extent, or forming itself into 

 many shapes, according to the caprice of the moment. 



Fortunately for the owners of aquaria, the Plumose Anemone is hardy, and bears 

 captivity well. It often separates itself into several parts, each of which becomes an 

 independent being, and in some stages of this process looks as if two individuals had 

 become fused together. 



THE pretty SNAKE-LOCKED ANEMONE may be recognized by the long, slender stem, 

 and the flexible, indistinctly-barred tentacles, with a dark line running down each side. 



SNAKE-LOCKED ANEMONE.-Sajarto vlduata. SNAKE-LOCKED ANEMONE.-Sajart/a vUuata. 



(Open) (Closed.) 



PLUMOSE ANEMONE.-Mctfm>/o& dlanthus. 



BEADLET. Actinia mesembryanthemum. 

 QEM-PIMPLET. Bu nodes gemmacea. (Closed.) 



QEM-PIMPLET. Buaodes gemmacea. (Open.) 



It is found in many parts of the British shore, seeming to be rather local, but toler- 

 ably plentiful in the spots which it chooses for its residence. Though not adorned 

 with brilliant colors, it is a remarkably pretty species, with its crown of delicate ten- 

 tacles waving " like a thin blue cloud " upon the summit of its elongated stem. One 

 of these Anemones has been known to produce some curious changes in its tentacles, 

 at one time thickening them into knobs, and at another throwing out branches. 



The widely-spread Anemone, with the circlet of pearl-like beads at the base of its 

 tentacles, is the well-known BEADLET, the most common of all this order on the British 

 coast. 



It is a singularly hardy species, living mostly on the rocks that lie between high and 

 low-water mark, and in some places collecting in extraordinary numbers. I remember 

 on one occasion, after meeting a party of unsuccessful anemone-hunters, I filled their 



