118 THE MADREPORE. 



ble as that of the hour-hand of a watch, the tiny prey 

 was carried along between the plates towards the cor- 

 ner of the mouth. The latter, however, moved most ; 

 and at length reached the edges of the plates, and 

 gradually took in and closed upon the insect : after 

 which it slowly returned to its usual place in the cen- 

 tre of the disk. 



After some quarter of an hour, observing that the 

 tentacles were more fully expauded than before, and 

 inferring that so tiny a morsel had only whetted the 

 Coral's appetite, I caught a house fly in the window 

 pane, and taking hold of its wings with a pair of pliers, 

 plunged it under water. The tentacles held it at the 

 first contact as before, and drew it down upon the 

 mouth, which instantly began to gape in expectation. 

 But the struggles of the fly's legs perhaps tickled the 

 Coral's tentacles in an unwonted manner, for they 

 shrank away, and presently released the intended 

 victim, which rose to the surface like a cork ; only 

 however to become the breakfiist of an expectant 

 Actinia hellis, which was much too wise to reject or 

 to let slip so dainty a prey. The poor Coral evi- 

 dently regretted the untoward necessity of letting 

 it go, for his mouth, — I will not say watered, for 

 being under water the expression might be open 

 to criticism, but — gaped, for some time after the 

 escape. 



I more commonly, however, fed them with shell 

 fish, such as limpets, perriwinkles, &c., cutting these 

 into pieces proportionate to the size of the Madrepore. 

 In taking a large morsel, the mouth is produced out, 

 and stretched over it, the unyielding stony margin of 



