494 A. E. Verrill — New American Actinians. 



washed away and replaced by fresh water for several hours, 

 destroying most other kinds of marine life, but apparently 

 without injury to this species. At least, I have found them as 

 active as usual the next day. Such pools are also exposed to 

 heavy seas and the pebbles and cobble stones that often till 

 them are violently tossed about by the waves, and yet I have 

 often found the actinians as lively as ever immediately after 

 the severest storms. 



It is, therefore, one of the hardiest species known. It 

 expands freely and almost constantly in confinement. 



In the upper tide-pools it is often associated with young 

 oysters and mussels, and with the common rock barnacle 

 (Balanus balanoides). The English periwinkle (Littorina 

 littoralis) also abounds in the same pools. This Sagartia is 

 often attached to the mussels and oysters, as well as to the 

 exposed ledge and under sides of stones, etc. Sometimes it is 

 found on Chondrus crispus and other algae. Dr. W. E. Coe 

 has found it in New Haven harbor, and informs me that he 

 also found it common at Woods Holl, Mass., this season, but dur- 

 ing the nine seasons that I spent at that station studying the 

 fauna, between 1871 and 1887, I did not find it, though care- 

 ful search was made every season for small organisms in 

 suitable localities. The same is true in respect to the region 

 about New Haven, which was carefully searched by me, during 

 many years, from 1865 to 1890, without finding this species. 

 So we must conclude that it has very much increased in num- 

 bers in this region within a few years, like several other 

 species. It may have been introduced from further south, on 

 the oysters that are annually brought north, in large quantities, 

 and planted in our waters. 



My attention was first called to this species, as something 

 new, in 1892, by my young daughter, Miss Lucy L. Verrill, 

 for whom I have named it. She found it in the tidal pools at 

 Outer Island, Conn. It was then much less abundant that at 

 the present time. 



Specimens collected early in November often contain numer- 

 ous small ciliated embryos, which may be seen swimming about 

 inside the translucent tentacles. 



This species belongs to that section of the genus Sagartia for 

 which Gosse proposed (1860) the name Thoe\ characterized by 

 the smoothness of the column, no adhesive suckers being visi- 

 ble. Our species is entirely smooth, and I have never seen 

 any adherent particles of sand or mud. 



The typical species of Sagartia (S. miiiiata, etc.) have 

 numerous small adhesive papillae or suckers on the upper part 

 of the column. The same is true of the genus or subgenus 

 Cylista Gosse, 1860. Additional figures of this species have 

 been prepared for a subsequent paper. 



