326 [Proc. B.N.F.C, 



passed in the art of taxidermy in the three kingdoms. Natu- 

 ralists are born, not made, and this is a profession that does 

 not adapt itself to " pot boiling," but requires a careful study 

 of the habits of the living creature. He then briefly ex- 

 plained the simplest*- method of setting up a bird, and various 

 formnlce of preservative preparations for the skins, after 

 which the demonstration was proceeded with. 



SEA ANEMONES. 



Mr. W. J. Fennell, M.R.I.A.I., presided at the usual 

 Wednesday night meeting of the Society, held in the Museum, 

 College Square, on 15th February. A paper was read by 

 Mr. W. H. Gallway, on '' Sea Anemones : their Structure, 

 Habits, and Life History." Mr. Gallway referred in brief 

 terms to the great antiquity of this group of animals, which 

 can be traced back for millions of years, from the remote 

 Silurian period to the present. He showed that what are com- 

 monly known as corals were merely the skeletons of animals 

 of the same family as the sea anemones. The structure of 

 the anemones was very curious, and not at all so simple as 

 one would imagine, judging from their outward appearance, 

 the animal taking the form of a soft, fleshy column, the in- 

 terior of which column was partitioned off into cells, the cells 

 communicating directly with the tentaculce. The whole in- 

 terior of the animal being richly ciliated caused a constant 

 circulation of the fluids to all parts, the contraction and 

 expansion of the creature being effected by two layers of 

 muscular tissue, the outer composed of transverse, the inner 

 of longitudinal, fibres. Certain species of anemones possessed 

 a most remarkable weapon, consisting of a thread-like 

 filament, which could be ejected from cells embedded in the 

 fleshy column. This filament could be seen with the naked 

 eye, and under the microscope one could find its surface 

 crowded with cells, which again eject barbed weapons con- 

 taining a poison. The animal shoots this weapon into its 

 victim, and, not being able to withdraw it again, the barbs 



