DESCRIPTION. 35 



with which they adhere to the rock, and the protection 

 which their hase receives from tlie edges of the hol- 

 lows in which they live. One large fellow that I 

 attempted, just below the surface of the pool, con- 

 tracted so forcibly on being touched, that little 

 streams of water as thick as a pin shot out perpen- 

 dicularly from many of the tentacles to the distance 

 of a foot. The species became a favourite with me, 

 for its magnificent beauty ; and I kept in captivity 

 many specimens. 



A fine variety not uncommon has the body of a dull 

 dark red, with numerous, rather large, grey warts; 

 the tentacles dark purplish red, with pale, almost 

 white, tips. When fully expanded, and quite at home, 

 it imbibes water to such an extent as to become sub- 

 diaphanous. Under these circumstances it is exqui- 

 sitely beautiful. A specimen now before me is about 

 two inches in the diameter of the body, which is not 

 inflated to nearly its full capacity. The ground- 

 colour of the body is pale olive, tinged rather ir- 

 regularly with red, becoming darker towards the 

 oral margin. The warts are pale lilac, evidently 

 arranged in perpendicular rows of about fifteen in each 

 row; the tentacles are large, tumid, and elegantly 

 diaphanous ; their general colour is pale purple or 

 lake-red, tlie tint disappearing towards the tip, which 

 is whitish brown ; a rather broad ring of white goes 

 round near the middle of each tentacle, which ring is, 

 however, broken on the outer side. Besides this, 

 each tentacle is marked on one side with a large patch 

 of opaque white extending from the base through 

 about half its length. This patch frequently sends 



