516 EEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [14] 



much as in the latter, while the spicula also resembles those of this 

 group. This may represent a primitive typ.e from which the Pennatu- 

 lacea have been derived. It is only necessary to suppose that the at- 

 tached base of such a form may have become bulbous and more special- 

 ized, on account of the exigencies of muddy bottoms, as in the case of 

 our Alcyonium and Actinians, when it would become a true member of 

 the Pennatulacea. It might, of course, be urged that it is a degraded 

 form, derived from the Pennatulacea, but this is not probable. At any 

 rate, it is evident that the Pennatulacea, as a group, are adapted speci- 

 ally for life on the soft muddy bottoms of the deep sea, and probably 

 were originally developed there from simpler attached forms of shal- 

 low-water origin. 



The bulbous bases of the large Actinians are often useful to us in 

 dredging, because they may inclose various small shells, «&c., with the 

 mud, and some of our new discoveries have been obtained only from 

 this source. They are also very useful to us as bringing up the most 

 perfect samples of the mud of the bottom, with precisely the same com- 

 position that it had when undisturbed, for the bulb is often so nearly 

 closed that none of the mud can wash out, while the contents of the 

 dredge and trawl and of the sounding cup are more or less washed on 

 the way up, and the finer parts may be largely lost. 



Another very large and handsome species of Actinian, first discovered 

 in 1880, but one which does not descend to great depths, inhabiting 

 only the warm zone, in 60 to 115 fathoms, is Urticina perdioo V. (fig. 19). 

 When in full expansion, it is often over a foot across, with its very nu- 

 merous long, slender, translucent tentacles spread out in every direc- 

 tion. The body is smooth and curiously mottled with shades of lighter 

 and darker brownish, jellow, and pale flesh-color, something like the 

 feathers of a partridge, to which the name alludes. It is one of the 

 few deep-water species that thrives well in confinement. We have kept 

 large individuals in aquaria all summer, without special care. It is 

 very active, constantly changing in form, and very voracious. The 

 temperature of the water in which it naturally lives is similar to 

 that of the harbor at Wood's HoU in summer, while most of the other 

 species, coming from greater depths, live in and require much colder 

 water than can be provided without special means of cooling. 



We often keep deep-sea species, of different groups, alive for a few 

 hours or days by keeping them in water cooled down in the ice-box on 

 -the steamer, in cases where it is desirable to bring them ashore with 

 their natural colors and appearance for descriptions and figures. But 

 in most cases they never recover from the injury received by being 

 drawn up through the warm upper stratum of Gulf Stream water, which 

 is usually above 70 degrees, and although they sometimes remain alive 

 for a day or two, they seldom show any activity, and usually die within 

 a few hours. The Crustacea are nearly always quite dead when brought 

 on deck, for, excepting the hermit- crabs, thej^ are injured by the rough 



