374 Miscellaneous. 



Gosse ; S. miniata, Ctosso ; S. sphjfrodeta, Gosse ; S. peUticida, 

 HoUard; -S. i'jnca, Fischer; *S^. erifthrochlla, Fischer; S. ejfeela, 

 Liiiiic ; Adamsia pall lata , Bohadsch ; Cliitoiiacti^ co ronat a, Li Ofiso ; 

 Biinodcs verrucosus. Pennant ; B. Balli, Cocks ; B. biscai/ensis, 

 Fischer ; TcaVia fclina, Linne ; Cori/nactis viridis, Allman ; Palij- 

 thon Ooarlii, Johnston ; and P. sulcata, (rosse. Of these thirty-one 

 species, twenty-five (that is to say, about five sixths) inhabit the seas 

 of (Jrcat Britain, and have been described in the ' Actinolof^ia Bri- 

 tannica ' of Mr. Gosse. The six species which arc wanting in Eng- 

 land are CeriantJius membranaceus, Eilwardsla Jfarassii, E. tu- 

 mlda, Sagartia itpica, S. eri/throchila, and Bunodcsbiscrnfctisls. The 

 Ccrianthus belongs to the Mediterranean fauna, as, perhaps, docs also 

 Sa(/artia cnjthrochila. 



The twenty-five species of our coasts which inhabit the English 

 seas only furnish three species which extend as far as the Mediter- 

 ranean ; these are Ancmonia sulcata. Actinia equina, and Adamsia 

 2ialliata. 



Our French actinological fauna nevertheless differs from that of 

 the coasts of Great Britain by the absence of several genera which 

 have an eminently boreal chai'acter, and which arc found chiefly in 

 the Shetlands and north of Scotland ; such are the genera Phellia, 

 Gregoria, Bolocera, Ilormathia, Stomphia, Ilganthns, Capnea, Aure- 

 liania, and Zoanthns. One can hardly cite three species of Actinia) 

 in the Mediterranean which are wanting on our oceanic coasts. We 

 may conclude from this that, if our ocean shores possess many 

 Actinia) and few Gorgonite and Corals*, the Mediterranean presents 

 the opposite condition. 



The bathymctric distribution of the Actinia) is very simple ; they 

 nearly all live in shallow water ; they are only found in the littoral 

 zones, and that of the Laminariae (0-28 metres) and XuUipores 

 (28-72 metres). Beyond tliis point occur the greater part of the 

 Corals which characterize the foUownng zone, that of Brachiopods 

 and Corals (72-184 metres). 



In the littoral zone Actinia equina, Ammonia sulcata, Sagartia 

 ignea, S. erythrochila, Bunodes verrucosus, Pahjtlioa sulcata, &c. 

 chiefly live. 



The Laminarian zone is principally inhabited by the non-adherent 

 Actinia), as well as by Metridium dianthus, Sagartia spTiyrodeta, S. 

 pellucida, &c. 



In the zone of Nullipores, or of the great Buccina, we dredge up 

 on shells Sagartia effceta, S. viduata, Adarnsia palliata, Chitonactis 

 coronata, and Pahjthoa CotwJii. 



AJl zoologists who have attended to the specific distinction of the 

 Actinia) have sought to estiiblish the immber of cycles and the 

 number of tentacles in each cycle. The number of cycles is not 

 absolute ; it is not uncommon to find one cycle more or less in 

 adult specimens of the same species : thus Tealia felina has five 



* The Corals of our oceanic shores are Can/nph>/lHa Smitlii, Demlro- 

 pltylUa comif/era, Desmophylluin crista-yaUi, and Paracyathus driatus. 

 Tlie Gorgoniie are Goryonia verrucosa, IHeroyoryia rhizomorpha, and 

 Mitricea placomus. 



