ANATOMY OF ACTINIA. 



97 



other of its relatives, cannot be seen until it is 

 removed from the sea, and placed in a vessel 

 where it can be subjected to light and exposed 

 to close examination. While it remains in its 

 native rock-basin, or adheres to its opaque sup- 

 port, the light cannot shine through the creature, 

 and its base, one of the most remarkable features 

 of its structure, is concealed by the stone on 

 which it rests. If, then, the observer wishes to 

 examine the anemone more closely, he may 

 easily do so by acting as follows : — 



Let him procure any glass jar — a large one is 

 not at all requisite — and having chipped off a 

 morsel of stone on which is growing a frond of 

 ulva or porphyra, place it conveniently in the 

 jar, and fill up with sea -water. After an hour 

 or two, the sea-weed will be studded with tiny 

 air-bells; and when that is the case the water is 

 fit for the reception of the anemones, of which 

 there should be only one or two. If the anemones 

 are merely dropped into the water, they will sink 

 to the bottom, and after a little while begin to 

 crawl up the sides of the jar. Now is the time 

 for examination, and with a lens of moderate 

 power much of the structure may be made out. 



Perhaps the "Mes" is the least attractive of 

 all the anemones, but yet it possesses some ex- 



H 



