THE BLOOD OF ANEMONES. 257 



that the fluid gives an albuminous reaction. But with the 

 highest respect for that observer, repeated investigations, 

 which have subsequently been confirmed by the well-known 

 zoologist, Mr R. Q. Couch, compel me to declare that no 

 such fluid circulates in the Actiniae — an assertion which can 

 readily be tested. The water is easily forced out of the ten- 

 tacles, or collected by cutthig open the Actiniae in a glass. 

 Evaporate it, and you will find it to be sea-water, holding 

 sometimes organic particles in solution. Test it with concen- 

 trated nitric acid, and instead of becoming turbid, as it would 

 if it contained albumen in solution, it remains unaltered, 

 except that, when organic particles are present, they become 

 distinct. Examine the fluid with the microscope, and you 

 will find animalculae and various particles, but nothing like 

 definite corpuscles, such as are visible in the true chylaque- 

 ous fluid. It is, in short, sea-water and nothing more. 



Feeling that in thus opposing the positive statements of 

 an accomplished zoologist like Dr Williams, I might very 

 possibly be under some error of observation, or interpre- 

 tation, I requested Mr R Q. Couch to repeat the investi- 

 gation, that I mioht either be corrected or confirmed. He 

 very kindly undertook the task, and thus wrote : " I took 

 two specimens of the spotted Mesemhryanthemum, and 

 forced the water from the tentacida, and found, under the 

 microscope of 300 linear, numerous infusorial creatures 

 rapidly moving about. On treating this with nitric acid, I 

 had a slight opalescent deposit, or rather a diSused milky 

 cloud of very slight character. The next day I obtained 



