46 Anatomy of Sagartia Schilleriana [No. 1, 



Blainville was one of the first who pointed out different sexes in 

 the Actiniacea, and since then, it has been repeatedly stated, that 

 some of the species are hermaphrodites, while others appear to be sex- 

 ually distinct. I have examined a large number of specimens of the 

 present species, and always found the ovarian strings consisting of 

 ova only, being connected by thin threads, attached to a conspicuous 

 median string, and enveloped in a pale purplish coloured mucous 

 substance, (see pi. XI. figs. 10, 10a, 10b). The eggs usually were 

 of various sizes, some of them small, evidently in a young stage, 

 others much larger, those of largest size measuring about J§- of an 

 inch in diameter, so as to be distinctly visible even without a 

 glass, (see fig. 10a, pi. XI). The apparantly ripe eggs were perfectly 

 globular, each attached to the ovarium by a thin string, it possessed a 

 markedly thickened epidermis, surrounding a finely granular dark 

 substance, and having a large, usually eccentric transparent spot, 

 with a minute opaque centre, (see fig. 10b, pi. XI). Besides 

 these eggs there were always smaller and larger globular masses 

 of irregular shape visible ; they were in a constant rotating motion, 

 and probably represented earlier stages of ova, or others in a 

 state of furcation. Boiled in hydrochloric acid, the ova remained 

 almost unchanged, from which it would seem that their epidermis 

 partially consists of chitin, which I have reason to believe is also 

 represented in the integument. In the mucous substance of the 

 ovaria cnidce are sometimes observed of an elongated oval shape, 

 having a thin remarkably long and strongly bearded ecthorceum, as 

 represented in fig. 10c on pi. XI. 



With respect to the sexual difference of our Sagartia, I have to 

 record the following observations which, when confirmed, may throw 

 some light upon the generative system of the Actiniacea. After 

 having kept the specimen, figured on pi. X, and the history of which 

 I shall relate subsequently, for about 18 days in my aquarium, it be- 

 gan in small quantities to issue from its mouth a milky white, 

 viscous substance which, upon examination under a very high power 

 of the microscope, appeared to consist of small round globules of 

 different sizes, not however exhibiting any motion. There were only a 

 few cnidce interspersed in that mass. Sickly Actinice are said often to 

 issue a similar white substance, but in the present case I could not 



