146 
LECTURE X. 
our own coasts ; generally imbedding itself in the 
sand, instead of adhering to rocks ^ it is called the 
Actinia crassicornis, and is distinguished by its red 
colour, and roughish external surface, while the 
central or middle part, when expanded, is white, 
most elegantly marked near the base of the tenta- 
cula with numerous carmine-coloured streaks : the 
tentacula themselves being of a pearl-colour, and 
of a much thicker or more swelled appearance 
than in most other species. The Actinia crassi- 
cornis often measures four, five, or even six inches 
in diameter when in its expanded state. 
The Act ini CE or Sea-Anemonies are naturally 
very voracious animals, preying not only on the 
softer sea-animals, but on such as are guarded by 
a shelly defence ; they swallow various kinds of 
univalve shell-fish, the smaller kind of crabs, and 
other animals, and when they have absorbed the 
juices of their prey, they reject the shell or other 
integument by the mouth. When kept in vessels 
of sea-water, which may be easily practised, they 
seem to require no particular nutriment, absorb- 
ing a sufficient quantity of animal gluten from the 
§ea-water itself for all the purposes of nutrition. 
In this confined state they do not grow or increase 
