87 



some cases the last few disappearing entirely. The silver spot in the 

 centre of the hind-wings is generally compound, but in two examples 

 it is simple. The ring of rust-colour surrounding this spot varies 

 greatly in breadth, being narrowest in the two simple spotted 

 specimens. 



Notes on Sea Anemones (Actiniae). 



By Edward Step, F.L.S. Read October 24///, 1895. 



For the study of all the creatures that live upon or around the 

 rocks between tide marks, I am most fortunately situated in my 

 present home. The low cliff upon which I reside runs off in a 

 broken foot-like extension, known as Pen-cabe, into the sea. 

 There are several deep and wide fissures, locally called " drangs," 

 and a large number of smaller cracks, as well as deep and shallow 

 basins, hewn in its surface at different levels by tidal action. Beyond 

 ordinary low tides there is the Long Drang, running parallel with 

 the cliffs and about thirty feet across, separated from the sea by a 

 broad barrier of rugged rocks almost completely covered by the 

 huge fronds of Laminaria. It is, in fact, the border of the 

 Laminarian zone. At ordinary low tides this drang is a clean-cut 

 natural canal, with a few tall rocks standing out of the water in 

 mid-channel, but after new and full moon the waters retire so far 

 that, save for a few shallow pools, the drang is empty. 



From this drang and the rocks and pools between it and the 

 cliffs I obtained all but one of the anemones sent up for the Annual 

 Exhibition on the 17th inst. The exception was Cribrina effoeta 

 (Linn.), the so-called parasite-anemone, which is a deep-water 

 species, and was caught a little farther out on a "spiller" line. It 

 had sucked in the bait and so got hooked. This species is a 

 Commensal, perching on full-sized shells of Buccinum imdatuiti that 

 are inhabited by large specimens of Eupagiwiis bernhardus. It looks 

 a trifle ridiculous to see a weak creature like Eupagitrus not merely 

 dragging a big molluscan shell about, but on top of that a huge 

 thick tower of flesh, four inches in height, surmounted by an 

 expanding crown of creamy tentacles about as many inches broad. 

 I have since had a number of these dredged from the oyster grounds 

 at the mouth of the Truro river in Falmouth Harbour, where they 

 are very plentiful. Some of the fishermen here tell me this 

 anemone is a great nuisance from its habit of sucking the bait from 

 their spillers. 



But to return to my rocks. Actinia equina (Linn.), the Common 

 Beadlet, is abundant, of course, between tide marks in all its 

 wonderful variety of colouring, of which the most striking form is 

 the large var. fragacea, its dark red column thickly sprinkled with 



