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may be procured in deep water by means of the naturalist's 

 dredge. There are, however, two more species that will possibly 

 attract the attention of the inquisitive rambler along the shore : they 

 belong to genera closely allied to Actinia, viz., Anthea cereus, and 

 Adamsia palliata. The former frequently chooses for its position the 

 leaves of the grass wrack, or sea grass (Zostera marina), extensive 

 beds of which constitute submarine meadows in sandy districts. This 

 wrack (including the other species, Z. nana,) is the only instance of 

 a British flowering plant that lives in the sea. Now, wherever there 

 is a bed of this plant, the student of marine zoology (and also the 

 algologist, or marine botanist,) may pause and examine ; and, if he 

 does not object to wade knee deep, at ebb-tide, he will almost to a 

 certainty be repaid for his trouble. Large numbers of creatures 

 revel and thrive in this forest fish, crabs, shell-fish, annelids or sea 

 worms, and zoophytes ; and here, dependent from the long riband- 

 like leaves of the zostera, you may often discover Anthea cereus with 

 his lengthened tentacula, on the look-out for his prey. The follow- 

 ing characters will be sufficient for identification : body cylindrical, 

 smooth, adhering by a broad base ; tentacles numerous, longer than 

 the body, and, unlike those of the Actiniae, these arms cannot be 

 retracted, or are scarcely retractible, into the body of the animal, 

 It attains in this neighbourhood the size of about three inches, 

 measured from the base to the oral disc, or mouth ; and it is of a 

 light brown, or dull ash colour. Beds of the Zostera marina occur 

 at Lamlash, on the sandy shore opposite the village ; also, on Holy 

 Island, not far from St. Molios's cave ; but, even where the sea wrack 

 does not grow, Anthea cereus may be found attached to one of the 

 commonest of our sea-weeds Fucus serratus. The other species 

 -Adamsia palliata will not so readily be discovered by the casual 

 visitor, for it prefers the deep water. The dredge, when let down to 

 ten or twenty fathoms, will often bring up a dozen specimens at a 

 time. This zoophyte may be grouped among the most curious of 

 creatures. It will be sure, when once seen, to arrest attention. 

 Its habitat, or dwelling-place, is the exterior wall of a deserted shell, 

 as, for example, the dead shell of a buccinum, or whelk, or of a 

 trochus, or fusus, over the greater part of which the animal is 

 extended as a flattened mass about three-tenths of an inch in thick- 

 ness, varying from a light brown to cream colour, and having the 

 whole surface of its body streaked and spotted. The situation of 

 the oral disc is distinguished by three or four rows of tentacula, 

 short and white, forming an oval margin round the mouth. A thin 

 substance, like horn, will be observed covering part of the empty 



