138 ZOOPHYTES. 



the bottom a row, of from fifty to two hundred or even 

 more fingers, disposed in two or three rows, and in the 

 centre of the bottom of the tumbler a slight elevation, 

 with an opening in it — this will give you some slight idea 

 of the form of our hero ; but as to his color, semi-trans- 

 parency, and graceful form and movement, no description 

 can do justice to it 1 



The tumbler, in our example, represents the " body," the 

 flat bottom (which is turned upwards) the " oral disc ;" 

 and if we were to stretch a piece of paper over the mouth 

 of the glass, this would represent the " base ;" the fingers 

 around the disc are the " tentacles," and the opening in 

 the centre of the disc the " mouth." We now know the 

 principal parts of an Anemone. But let us go still farther, 

 and examine his interior economy. I have given (Plate 

 X., Fig. 1), a section of a full-grown specimen of Actinia 

 mescmbryanthemum. A portion has been removed, so that we 

 can see the interior arrangement of the organs ; b, is the 

 outer skin, or cuticle, covering the whole animal ; a, a, are 

 the tentacles, placed on the edge of the oral disc in rows, 

 and each having an opening at the pointed end, through 

 which water is drawn into the interior of the animal for 

 the purpose of expansion, and which carries along with it 

 numerous minute animalcule, serving as food to the Ane- 

 mone ; so that he feeds, not only by means of the mouth, 

 but through the openings at the ends of the tentacles. 

 The oral disc extends from the base of the tentacles to the 

 mouth, d. Below d, is the stomach, which is corrugated ; 

 but you need not cut your Anemone open to see the inte- 

 rior of his stomach, as he will certainly very often turn 



