ERRORS ABOUT ANEMONES. 117 



to mention that in one admirable handbook, the second page, 

 devoted toadescrijjtion of the habits of the Anemone, contains 

 six distinct errors : yet this is no fault of the compiler ; he 

 states what preceding writers state, and his excellent sum- 

 mary of what is known bears the date of 1855. If the habits 

 have been so imperfectly observed, you may guess what a 

 chaos the anatomy and physiology of this animal present. 

 Such being the state of the case, we may hope that the wide 

 diffusion of a taste for vivaria will in a little while furnish 

 Science with ample material ; and meanwhile, as many of 

 my readers are possessors of vivaria, actual or potential, and 

 will certainly not content themselves with blank wonder- 

 ment, but will do theii" utmost to rightly understand the 

 Anemones, even if they make no wider incursions on the 

 domains of the zoologist, they will perhaps be interested if 

 I group together the results of investigations, pursued at 

 Ilfracombe and Tenby during the summer of 1856, and, 

 with less energy, because with less prodigality of specimens, 

 during the autumn and winter at home ; adding thereto 

 some corrections derived during the spring and summer of 

 1857. In the present state of knoAvledge, the independent 

 observations of every one who has had any experience can- 

 not but be welcome. 



The literature of the subject is extensive if we include 

 aU the passing notices made by naturalists from Aristotle 

 downwards ; but the capital works are few. What Aristotle 

 says of them is accurate enough for the most part,* although 



* Aristotle: Hist. Animal, lib. i. c. i. U, and lib. iv. c. vi., 4. There are 

 probably other passages, but these ai-e all I have been able to fiiid. 



