64 DUBLIN NATITKAL HISTOKT SOCIEir. 



perforated by Saxicava and Area, and abound in ascidians and sponges. 

 The most common form here is the pure white variety, S. sindonea; 

 it is a very beautiful object when fully expanded, the body being trans- 

 lucent white, the numerous tentacles resembling swan's down, and the 

 lobes of the mouth and gonidial grooves pure milk opaque white. Gosse 

 mentions that one of the principal specific characters of A. dianthus is 

 its possessing only one gonidial groove, while the other species have two. 

 I have in one of my tanks a specimen of Sindonea with two distinctly 

 marked gonidial grooves, one at each end of the mouth. I also have an- 

 other singular specimen, with two mouths on the one disc. Gosse remarks 

 that it is common in this species to find the discs uniting into a single 

 column, but he does not mention the occurrence of two mouths on one 

 disc ; of course, these aberrations from the normal form are merely to be 

 considered as monstrosities. The colour of my two-mouthed dianthus 

 is as follows : — Body brownish salmon-colour ; lobes of the mouths 

 bright orange, the gonidial grooves not visible ; tentacles faintly barred 

 with alternate reddish-brown and darker brown streaks, and tipped 

 with yellowish- white. At low- water numerous specimens may be pro- 

 cured, nearly four inches long, and the disc three inches broad. They 

 are not easily removed from the rock, as their base is generally situated 

 in the bottom of a cavity. 



I find dianthus a hardy species, thriving well in the aquarium, where 

 it is a great ornament, and constantly shifting its position and altering 

 its form. 



I have frequently observed the reproduction by spontaneous division, 

 mentioned by Gosse. While moving along the glass side of the tank, they 

 often leave behind a small irregular fragment of the edge of the base, 

 " as if," says Gosse, " their adhesion had been so strong that the animal 

 found it easier to tear its own tissues apart than to overcome it." 



At the point of division acontia are freely extended, several of which 

 are left with the small fragment ; in a few days, however, these are with- 

 drawn, and the small fragment becomes a young and perfect dianthus, 



Sagartia hellis — The Daisy Anemone. Localities, Miltown-Malbay, 

 Liscannor, Ballyvaughan. Many of the flat limestone rocks on the shore 

 about Ballyvaughan are covered to the depth of half an inch or there- 

 abouts with sandy mud, on which grow corallines and small sea- weeds ; 

 these at low- water may be seen to be literally paved with the daisy ane- 

 mone, their bases adhering to the rock, and the disc protruding through 

 the mud. They can be removed without much difficulty, and thrive 

 pretty well in the tanks. The variety Sordida of Gosse, is that which oc- 

 curs at Ballyvaughan. I however have got another pretty variety, unde- 

 scribedby him. The colours are as follows : — The base, white ; column, 

 olive or brownish-grey ; bright patches of yellowish- white round the 

 mouth, somewhat in the form of irregular short v&jb ; six regular broad 

 grey rays proceeding from the mouth to the first row of tentacles, and the 

 rest of the disc, of which these six rays occupy one-half, light-chocolate; 

 tentacles mottled, with light yello^^'ish-brown, white, chocolate, and 

 crimson. 



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