ACTINIAE AND OTHER AOTINOID POLYPS. 37 



whose barbs resist withdrawal. So that we can with certainty 

 associate the sudden and violent death of the little fish with 

 the intromission of barbed ecthoroea? 



The following observation by J. P. Couthouy, from the 

 author's Report on Zoophytes (p. 128), if it is beyond ques- 

 tion, shows power even in the Actinia's presence. "Having a 

 number of Monodontas (a genus of univalve Mollusca allied 

 to our Trochi) too much crowded in a large jar of water. I 

 took out half-a-dozen, and placed them in a jar with an Ac- 

 tinia (Anthea fiagelliferd). On looking at them about three 

 hours after, I found that, instead of climbing like the others 

 to the top of the water, they remained just where they had 

 fallen, closely withdrawn into their shells. Supposing them 

 to be dead, they were taken out, when they directly began to 

 emerge ; and when returned to the jar with the other Mono- 

 dontas, they were in less than five minutes clustered round 

 its mouth. On placing them again in the jar with the Ac- 

 tinia, though kept there for two hours, they did not once 

 show themselves out of the shell. Once more placing them 

 along with the other shells, they exhibited their former signs of 

 life and activity. The experiment was repeated several times 

 . with a large Littorina, with the same result, evincing fear of 

 the Actinia on the part of the Mollusks." 



Gosse states the following fish story, which is much to the 

 point. Speaking of the Anthea cereus, or Opelet, a British 

 species, he says (p. 168) : "I one day saw an amusing example 

 of its power of passive resistance. A beautiful little speci- 

 men of the variety alabastrina, which had been sent to me 

 by Mr. Gatehouse, I had occasion to remove from one tank 

 to another. There was a halt-grown Bullhead (Coitus bubalis) 

 at the bottom, which had been in captivity rather more than 

 a fortnight. As he had not been fed during that time, I pre- 



