286 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



is peculiarly adapted for the study of the inquisitive 

 naturalist. 



Sir John G. Dalyell died in June 1851, and his famous 

 actinia was transferred to the custody of the late Dr 

 John Fleming, Professor of Natural Science, New College, 

 Edinburgh. While under his care two remarkable events 

 occurred in its life -history. The first was serious and 

 alarming. The room in which it was kept, had under- 

 gone a process of cleaning and painting; and it was con- 

 jectured that some deleterious substance had found access 

 into the glass jar, and that the precious actinia had been 

 poisoned. I was hastily summoned to prescribe, and the 

 actinia certainly appeared to be in a hopeless condition, 

 but by removal to a more sanitary apartment and frequent 

 renewal of pure sea-water, it was soon, happily, restored to 

 its wonted health and safety. The next incident was of a 

 different nature and highly satisfactory. In the spring of 

 1857, after remaining unproductive for many years, it, in the 

 course of a single night, gave birth to a progeny of 240 

 living young actiniae. None of them, so far as I know, ever 

 reached maturity. 



This actinia was greatly prized by Dr Fleming. After 

 his death, which occurred on 18th November 1857, Mrs 

 Fleming handed it over to my care, and the actinia is still 

 kept in the same small glass jar in which it lived with 

 its former owners. The Dalyellian actinia has now been 

 in my possession twenty years and five months. For 

 nearly fifteen years after coming under my care, it was 

 unproductive, but in August 1872, it afforded a second 

 surprise, by producing a brood of thirty living young 

 actiniae varying from a pin-head to six or eight times the 

 size. 



On 9th December 1872, it gave birth to nine living young 

 ones, which were exhibited with it at the " Jubilee Chroni- 

 con" of the Medico-Chirurgical Society the next evening. 

 Each year since then, it has produced living young varying 

 in number from five to twenty at a birth. The last brood 

 were extruded ten days ago, and are here exhibited. 



I compute, that during the last seven years, this animal has 



