CAN THE ANEMONES PARALYSE? 131 



advantage, and resolution, could certainly rend its body- 

 asunder. It is in the highest degree carnivorous. Thence 

 do all the varieties of the smaller finny tribes, the fiercest of 

 the Crustacea, the whole vermicular race, and the softer 

 tenants among the testacea, fall a prey to the Actinia:'." One 

 is astonished to meet with such a passage from so accurate 

 an observer. It is pure exaggeration, which succeeding 

 writers have accepted as literal truth. Thus, Rymer Jones 

 says, that " no sooner are the tentacles touched by a passing- 

 animal, than it is seized and held with unfailing pertina- 

 city." Had the learned professor given his attention to 

 Anemones he would know that, so far from the grasp being 

 "unfailing," it as often fails as succeeds, when the captive is 

 of tolerable activity ; and very noticeable is the fact, that 

 when the animals escape, they escape unhurt : a fact in 

 direct contradiction to the belief in a poison secreted by the 

 tentacles. 



I resolved to bring this question to the test, and dropped 

 a tiny crab, rather smaller than a fourpenny piece, on the 

 tentacles of my largest Crassicornis (nearly as large as a glass 

 tumbler). He was clutched at once, and the tentacles began 

 to close round him ; he struggled vigorously, and freed him- 

 self after a few seconds. Placed there a second time, he 

 again got away. I waited to see if any symptoms of paralysis 

 would declare themselves after this contact, but he was as 

 lively as ever. Later in the day I placed liim on the tenta- 

 cles of the voracious Anthea, the most powerful of all the 

 Anemones, and the only one which seems to sting ; but the 

 crab was too active, or too little appetising ; he got away as 



