ALDERNEY MARINE ZOOLOGY. 



93 



one or two good species were found. Dercitus niger, a black 

 india-rubber like sponge, occurred once — a prize. Tethya 

 lyncurium was quite common ; much more so than in 

 Guernsey. It resembles a Tangerine orange. Leiiconia 

 nivea and Dysidea fragilis also occurred, while Dictyocy- 

 Undrus was quite plentiful. 



CGELENTP]RATA. 



Alderney seems a happy hunting ground for Anemones. 

 No less than fifteen species were found, including several of 

 great rarity. Of the commoner species the Dahlia (Tealia 

 crassicornis) seemed more plentiful than with us, while the 

 Daisy ( Sagartia bellis), so common here, was comparatively 

 rare in Alderney. The Opelet (Anthea cercus) is finer than 

 in Guernsey, many specimens over six inches across being 

 met with. Turning to rarities, the first place must be given to 

 the scarlet and gold Cup Coral of Gosse (Balanophyllia 

 regid), an exquisite little gem with scarlet disc and golden 

 orange tentacles. These latter have no terminal knobs. The 

 only previous record is in Ansted's " Channel Islands," while 

 Gosse in his " Sea Anemones " records it only for Devon. It 

 is quite small, about one-third of an inch each way, and lives 

 in colonies on the sides of gullies at extreme low tide. Our 

 other Coral (Caryophyllia Smithii) was quite common, and 

 many very fine specimens were seen. 



Near the rocks on which the above were found was a 

 patch of sand sparsely covered with Zostera. This proved a 

 very good hunting ground, especially on the turn of the tide. 

 Here three of our rarest anemones were found. There were 

 eighteen specimens in a radius of six feet. These three 

 species were Peacliia undata, P. triphylla, and Cerianthus 

 Lloydii. In that spot there were twelve specimens of P. 

 undata, which has now been found in Guernsey, Alderney, 

 and flerm, One specimen of P. triphylla was obtained ; it 

 was formerly considered peculiar to Guernsey. 



Five specimens of C. Lloydii were seen. This is a long 

 Avorm-like form which builds a leathery tube to live in. 



Two other zoophytes are important and worthy of note. 

 One is a purple Lucernarian, identified as L. Campanulata. 

 The only previous record is in Ansted. It differs from our 

 ordinary species Haliclystes octoradiata, in that it has no 

 capsules between the tufts of tentacles. It was growing on 

 the tip of a frond of the purple seaweed Porphyra, as was its 

 companion. Antennularia antennina^ a tall compound zoo- 

 phyte, is new to the Alderney list. 



