THE ACTINLE.— SPONGES. 



tacvila, if full}' expanded, nearly equal the height of the 

 body. Their colour is an olive green, sometimes 

 streaked with blue, with a continuous green line, or 

 row of emerald spots ; the base is generally of a 

 greenish colour also, frequently chequered with red, 

 and always encircled with a ring of azure blue. The 

 colour of the body varies, but the usual tint is a 

 violet red. 



Of Mdridium dianthus, we are told that its thick 

 body is covered with a russet grey skin ; that the lobed 

 disc is thin and transparent about the mouth ; that the 

 numerous tentacula are very short, and are arranged 

 upon the disc in a broad, strong zone. It is found on 

 stones and shells in the Engl.sh Channel and the 

 North Sea. 



To the verrucous or warty section of the Adiniadce, 

 whose sides are studded with agglutinated tubercles, 

 belongs the Actinia crassicornis, or Coriaceous Cereus. 

 Its body is variegated with shades of red and green ; 

 its short, thick, greyisli tentacles are marked with 

 liroad roseate bands. Its habits seem to vary con- 

 siderably ; for while Hollard describes them as lying 

 imbedded in the sands of the shore, Cocks speaks of 

 thera as attaching themselves to shells and stones in 

 deep water, or on the coast, to the sides of rocks, 

 crevices, and fissures, and the surface of clean stones 

 iii sheltered places. 



The fourth or tap-rooted section includes, among 

 others, the Edirardsia Caliinorpha. which has a long, 

 non-adherent, polypus-like body, with the moulh and 

 tentacles surmounting a retractile column, and the lower 

 extremity inflated, membranous, and retractile. 



The PliyllaclincE form another group of Anemones. 

 They are simple, fleshy, and possess both simple and 

 composite tentacula. For an example, take the Phijllactis 

 prfvlexta, which inhabits the Tropical Pacific, especially 

 in the vicinity of Rio Janeiro, fixing itself on the rocks 

 of the littoral, and covering itself with sand. Its flesh- 

 coloured trunk is cylindrical in form, with vertical lines 

 and red points. The interior tentacles are disposed in 

 two simple elongated rows ; the exterior are spatulate 

 and lobed, resembling the leaves of the oak. 



Another group, the Thalassianthiilic, differs from 

 the preceding in its short, pinnate, and branching, or 

 papuliferous tentacula. 



The last group, the Zoan l/uiriii , is distinguished 

 by the occurrence of its polypes in clusters. They are 

 multiplied by beds, which spring from a common, 

 creeping, fleshy, and root-like base — presenting a kind 

 of coriaceous polypier, as in Zoanlhus Couckii (also 

 named Zoantluis socialis). This species in England 

 frequents the Cornish coast, clinging to flat slates and 

 rocks in deep water, and at a distance of three to 

 twenty miles from shore. It is very small, resembling 

 a split pea both in size and shape. " When semi- 

 expanded, which," says the author of ' The Ocean 

 World,' " is its favourite state, it elongates itself to 

 twice its ordinary length, becoming contracted about 

 the middle, like an hour glass." When the creature 

 is fully expanded, the tentacula become distended and 

 elongated to about the length of the transverse diameter 

 of the bodj', and they are generally darker at their 

 extremities than towards the base. Like all the 



Actiniada?, the present species possesses a power of 

 considerably altering its shape; sometimes the mouth 

 is depressed, and at others it is elevated into an obtuse 

 cone. " This is one of the most inactive of its order," 

 says Mr. Couch, " for whether in a state of contraction 

 or expansion, it will remain so for many days without 

 any apparent change. In its expanded state a touch 

 will make it contract, and it will commonly remain .so 

 for many days. The trailing connecting-band is flat, 

 thin, narrow, glandular, and of the same texture as 

 the polype, sometimes enlarging into small papillary 

 eminences, which, as they become enlarged, become 

 developed into polypes." 



Sjponge-fishing on the Syrian Coast. 



At the present day, the Sponge fishery is chiefly 

 confined to the Grecian Archipelago and the Syrian 

 coast. The Greeks and Syrians dispose of the pro- 

 ducts of their labours to the Western nations, and the 

 trade has immensely extended of late years, since 

 the sponge has become an indispensable adjunct of the 

 most imjiortant cleansing operations. 



The Sponge fishery in the Levant commences in 

 May, and is carried on by the Greeks until the end of 

 August, by the Syrians until the end of September, or 

 even to the early days of October. The most favour- 

 able moiitlis are July and August. 



Latakia sends about ten boats to the scene of opera- 

 tions, Batroun twenty, Tripoli about thirty, Kalki fifty, 

 Suni a hundred and seventy to a hundred and eighty, 

 and Kalminos upwards of two hnndred. Each con- 

 tains a crew of fifteen to twenty men, whese operations 

 may be briefly described 



As soon as they arrive on the coast they lay up their 

 boats, and hire some fishing skiffs from the inhabitants 

 of the country. These are manned by four or five 

 men, and scatter themselves in all directions along the 

 shore, to search for sponges under the cliffs and ledges 

 of rock. Those gathered in the shallow waters are of 

 inferior quality. The finer kinds are found at a depth 

 of from seventy to a hundred and twenty feet. The 

 former are fished for with three-tined toothed harpoons, 

 which tear them, but not without injuring their value, 

 from their native rocks. The latter are collected by 

 divers, who separate them from their habitat with a 

 strong sharp knife. The price of a sponge brought 

 up by diving is considerably higher than that of a 

 harpooned sponge. 



The best divers, it is said, are those of Kalminos and 

 Psara. They descend to the depth of a hundred and 

 thirty to a hundred and fifty feet. They remain under 

 water a briefer time than the Syrian divers, but owing 

 to their greater dexterity, bring up a more abundant 

 booty. 



The sponge-fishers of the Morea, and particularly the 

 Ilydriots, proceed in a very different maimer. In fact, 

 they do not dive ; they drag. The drag which they 

 use is a triilent armed with sharp curved teeth, and 

 provided with a net. The prongs tear oDT the spongei, 

 which the net or bag receives. This can only be done 



