Mr. J. Y. Johnson on the Sea- Anemones of Madeira. 179 
average size of this species is less than that of S. parasitica, the 
largest specimens of which I have never seen equalled by any of S. 
afinis. Near neighbours in habit and mode of life as these two ma 
be, I have never observed any passage from one form to the other, 
although a good many specimens have been met with. It is an eager 
and voracious feeder, and bears captivity very well. It will some- 
times transfer itself from the shell to the bottom of the tank, and 
after a while, lo! it is seated on the shell once more, the shell being 
all the time the abode of a restless Pagurus. 
PHELLIA VESTITA, sp. Nn. 
Base adherent to rocks, less than column. Column cylindrical 
when expanded, clothed with a dense, brown, closely-adherent skin, 
rough like wash-leather, which when forcibly stripped off discloses 
the true skin beneath, which is smooth and of a pinky red. The 
animal is able to protrude the lower part and the upper part of its 
column from beneath the epidermal covering, which seems to consist 
chiefly of mucus and fine mud blended together. In a contracted 
state it is wrinkled transversely, but not warted. Disk smooth, red- 
dish, with radiating marks of brown and white. Tentacles numerous, 
in three rows, crowded near margin of disk, of moderate length, the 
innermost row the longest ; retractile, conical, rather broad at the 
base, pale red, more or less ringed and spotted with opake white : 
sometimes the dilated bases have a dark neutral-tint band, and below 
this a white band round them. Mouth not raised on a cone, but 
sometimes puffed out. Acontia emitted sparingly. 
This Sea-anemone is able to take considerable variety of shape ; 
sometimes it is contracted, sometimes swollen out at the middle, and 
when irritated into a state of complete contraction, it has a very ru- 
gose appearance. When detached from any support, I have seen 
it contract its base so much that a small hole only was visible. It 
has the power of expanding or distending both the lower and upper 
parts of its body, the expanded portions becoming semitransparent, 
and assuming the appearance of bladders, whilst the rest of the column 
retains its rough opake coating. This coat adheres so strongly, 
that I have in vain endeavoured to remove it with my finger-nail 
from a healthy animal. From a specimen, however, which had been 
severely wounded in removing it from its native rock, I succeeded in 
peeling off the coat in patches. The animal is not timid, it will 
keep its tentacles expanded until it is touched ; but in the day-time 
it seldom pushes them out to their full stretch ; they are usually 
held curved over the margin of the disk. It is rather fond of as- 
cending the side of the tank until it nearly reaches the surface of the 
water ; then, attaching itself by part of its lower disk, it will bend its 
body loosely downwards at an angle of 45°. It is hardy in the aqua- 
rium, rather sluggish in its habits, and adheres firmly to its support. 
It is not uncommon under stones in pools amongst the rocks covered 
at high tide. The size is not great ; the largest I have seen measured 
about half an inch in height when contracted, and expanded to a 
length of about an inch and a half. 
12* 
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