250 BERMUDA. 



Around Hamilton Harbour, and the sea-shore 

 generally, we frequently observe the ActinieB, or 

 "sea-anemones." These polypes have the body 

 fleshy, often brilliantly coloured; and the tentacula 

 are arranged in several rows round the mouth, some- 

 what like the petals of a double flower. They are 

 very sensitive to light, and expand or close their 

 tentacula acccording to the fineness of the day. 

 When the tentacula are retracted, the aperture 

 from which they proceed closes like the mouth 

 of a purse, and the animal appears a simple fleshy 

 tubercle, adhering to the rock. Many Actinim, when 

 their tentacula are expanded, have as gay an appear- 

 ance as the flowers of almost any plants. 



Besides the above-mentioned, the Holoihwrim (sea- 

 slugs) are very numerous, and many of them are 

 splendidly coloured; so that, together with the 

 Radiata, they make the sea-bottom, when seen by 

 the light of an almost vertical sun, look as gay as a 

 tropical garden. 



A remarkable feature of Bermuda is the paucity 

 of its mammalia — of the wild animals. There are 

 three indigenous species of rats properly so called 

 (^Mus, Cuv.) The water-rat is very common {Mus 



