256 OUR SEA-ANEMONES. 
















the fluid forces out the tubular dart by turning it inside out, 
as one would turn the finger of a glove. The slender tube, 
when thrust out, is very long, slender, and pointed, 2 
usually curiously and wonderfully barbed. The nature 
the poison, so deadly to small animals, which these 
emit when they penetrate the flesh, is still unknown; 
whatever its nature, it must be very powerful, for the quat- 
tity is necessarily excessively small. The tentacles not on 
capture and kill the prey by means of these organs, but 
means of the darts, that thus penetrate in large numbe 
they hold it firmly until conveyed from the “tentacles 
the mouth. Among our native Sea-anemones there are 
species that have darts powerful enough to sting the iw 
though some species, like the Star-anemone, will often a 
so firmly, if its tentacles be touched by the finger, tha 
may be lifted from the water before it will loosen its” 
This adherence is doubtless due to the many lasso-cells t 
partially penetrate the epidermis, or outer layer of | 
but have not power to enter fur enough to reach the se 
portion. But the common, large, vinta Jelly-fish ( 
arctica) has similar poison-darts covering its long, # 
thread-like tentacles, which are powerful enough to 
the human skin, and sting far more painfully than 1 
And among the coral ii of Florida and the West- 
there are corals ( Millepora) which, unlike most corals, Ì 
animals belonging to the same class with the Je 
and their tentacles have poison-darts, which, a 
the observations of Professor Hartt, sting, the = 
hands where the skin is most delicate very severely 
same is true of some other //ydroids, which do n 
coral, but grow in moss-like tufts. It is also sa said 
of the foreign Sea-anemones have the same pont 
E, 
