36 A SUSPECTED ALIAS. 



off a half-ring of white, on the interior side, near its 

 middle. The patch itself is irregular in form and 

 extent, generally losing itself gradually at its up- 

 per extremity ; it is not always on the same side ; 

 frequently two contiguous tentacles have the patch 

 on their two opposing faces. The oral disk is dark 

 vinous red, crossed by some streaks of white, each of 

 which is double, separating to enclose the base of an 

 inner tentacle, and re-uniting. These stripes have a 

 very pleasing effect. 



I doubt much the specific distinction of A. crassi- 

 cornis and A, coriacea. Dr. Johnston describes the 

 former as best distinguished by the readiness with 

 which the rim of the disk is twisted, by the facility 

 with which it becomes tumid, and by the vesicular 

 furrowed lobes, which are frequently protruded from 

 the mouth. All these characters my specimens have 

 with distinctness ; the last named I shall presently 

 allude to. For one of the others the following 

 instance may suffice. I brought home a fine speci- 

 men of the crimson variety, which I put into a pan of 

 water just sufficient to cover it. In an hour or two it 

 protruded the lips and inflated them so immensely 

 that at first sight I thought the animal had turned 

 bottom upwards, and that I was looking at the broad 

 base. The surface was nearly smooth, flat and cir- 

 cular, about two and a half inches in diameter, occu- 

 pying the whole breadth, so that the tentacles were 

 partly overlaid by it, and appeared only as a thick 

 fringe peeping out from under its edge in a horizontal 

 plane. There was a curious, sharp-edged, narrow 

 groove across the centre of the surface, rather deep, 



