152 GENUS ACTINIA [Novctnber. 



actiniform animals, furnished with a calcarious crust of 

 habitation. Judging from external appearance, the pas- 

 ^sage of the Actiniae from their free state, by regular grada- 

 tions, to the madrepores, is very evident. 



After this hasty sketch of an interesting series of ani- 

 mals, recently observed by myself in the West Indies, 

 I shall give an account of those of the first division of my 

 table, of which species no description is have yet been 

 published. The first of these was discovered by Peron 

 and myself in our voyage to Australasia. 



But before proceeding to their description, I will give 

 the observations made on a species, during a passage from 

 Europe to the West Indies, in company with Mr. Ma- 

 elure. On the 12th December, 1815, a short timebefore 

 cur arrival at Barbadoes, being then in lat. 21° 0' — long. 

 32"" 59' y the temperature of the sea, at noon, being at 19° 

 of Reaumur, I discovered several individuals of a very 

 small species, to which I gave the name of Actinia minu^ 

 tissima. Their bodies were soft, cylindric, of a very 

 white colour, and opaque, with no visible tentacula; 

 their base was contracted. These individuals took diffe- 

 rent forms:- sometimes they lengthened themselves, at 

 other times they assumed the appearance of a Doins, for 

 which they might be mistaken by a supei^cial observer. 

 This species being very diminutive, I shall pass it over 

 with the above brief notice. 



On the 24th December, in lat. 13^ l' 30". long, 

 48° 25. the temperature of the sea being 20-^^^ Reaumur, 

 I had the satisfaction of taking a fine specimen of a new 

 species, on which I made the following observations: 



Act m I A olivacea» (Plate VII. fig. 1.) The body of 

 th'is species when takea was contracted^ hard, of the form of 



