18 BEAUTIFUL VARIETY OF ANTHEA. 



feels a desire to mount the sides of the glass. Piish- 

 insf out a great inflated lobe towards that side, the 

 sole of which is free from the surface, it takes hold of 

 the glass with the edge of the lobe, and when the 

 contact is firm, relaxing its former hold, it slowly 

 drags forward the body, until the lobe is again lost in 

 the general circumference, or even till the body pro- 

 jects in two smaller lobes, one on each side of the 

 principal one. The base being now made firmly to 

 adhere, again the lobe is freed, and again protruded, 

 and the same process is repeated until the animal is 

 satisfied with the position that it has gained. Some- 

 times this is at mid-height, the intertwined tentacles 

 streaming loosely down by their own w^eight. At 

 other times it rises to the very water's edge, and even 

 thrusts out its base in an inverted position upon the 

 surface of the water, as if it would float by the mere 

 contact of the dry base with the air, just as the 

 LinnecE and many other Mollusca do. It does not, 

 however, so far as I can judge, appear capable of 

 quite accomplishing this ; but it can remain so 

 suspended, if the slightest possible portion of the 

 margin remain in adhesive contact with the side of 

 the glass.* A little shaking of the vessel, however, 

 causes the water to overflow the surface of the base, 

 which had been hitherto dry, when the animal in- 

 stantly falls prone to the bottom. 



April 'i^rd. — I found a curious and beautiful 

 variety of Anthea cereus in a pool at Tor Abbey 

 Headland. Its body and oral disk are very light 



* I have since seen one, however, floating quite freely on the surface 

 of the vessel, base uppermost. 



