4060 Notices of New Books. 



of an inch in length, almost linear, and slightly curved. The pres- 

 sure being continued, each of these little organs suddenly shoots forth 

 from one end to a great length, a slender highly elastic thread, which 

 had hitherto been coiled up spirally within its cavity. The expulsion 

 of this thread is effected by a proper organism, excited by the pres- 

 sure on the tissues of the tentacle, but not forced out by the compres- 

 sion of the capsule itself, for this is much too minute to be compressed 

 by the glass plates, under any power that can be brought to bear upon 

 them. It is supposed that the adhesive touch of the tentacles resides 

 in these little organs, and that a poisonous fluid accompanies the 

 emission of the thread ; since the mere contact of a tentacle with any 

 small animal appears at once to paralyze it, however lively it may 

 have been but a moment before. If this be so, what a highly curious 

 example is here of the wondrously effective provision which the infi- 

 nite resources of the Divine Wisdom have made for the wants of every 

 creature ! "—P. 25. 



Let us contrast with this a passage on the economical uses of these 

 sea-flowers. We confess without reservation our entire previous igno- 

 rance of the esculent properties of an Actinia. There is something 

 perhaps a little revolting in the idea of frying a sea Anemone in egg 

 and bread-crumbs, but it is certainly only on a par with scalloping a 

 living oyster. 



" And now for a paragraph of cookery. Dicquemare's testimony 

 to the excellence of Actinia crassicornis for the table, tempted me to 

 taste it, and I determined to take an early opportunity of cooking a 

 few. In a few minutes 1 collected some half-dozen, of different sizes, 

 at low water near Wildersmouth, and having rubbed them with my 

 fingers in a tide-hole till the coating of gravel was pretty well got rid 

 of, brought them home. I put them into a pan of sea-water for the 

 night to cleanse them, and most beautiful and gorgeous was the ap- 

 pearance they presented when expanded ; no two alike in colours, 

 and yet all so lovely that it was difficult to say which excelled. Per- 

 haps one with the tentacles partly cream-colour and partly white was 

 as beautiful as any. 



" The next morning, however, I began operating. As it was an 

 experiment, I did not choose to commit my pet morsels to the ser- 

 vants, but took the saucepan into my own hand. As I had no infor- 

 mation as to how long they required boiling, I had to find it out for 

 myself. Some I put into the water (sea-water) cold, and allowed it to 

 boil gradually. As soon as the water boiled, I tried one; it was tough 

 and evidently undone. The next I took out after three minutes' boil- 



