REPORTS. 



269 



Three years ago I reported the discovery of a small 

 colony of little blue anemones in Sark. They have now, I 

 regret to say, all been carried off by collectors, the last 

 remaining three going this summer while I was there. 



In my report last year I referred to the disappearance 

 of some of the forms of animal life in the winter and their 

 re-appearance in the same spots the following summer. I 

 referred in particular to two walls in the inner Gouliot Caves, 

 one of which was covered almost exclusively with tens of 

 thousands of Corynactis Viridis, the other equally covered 

 with Corynactis Corallina — two varieties of the little Globe- 

 horn Anemone. On visiting the caves at the commence- 

 ment of last winter I found these two walls apparently per- 

 fectly bare. A similar disappearance was observed of several 

 other forms, notably in the so-called " Grass Cave," which is 

 the home of countless thousands of Hydroid Zoophytes. 



The difficulty was not to account for their disappearance 

 so much as their re-appearance in approximately similar 

 numbers in the same spots. As a result of that report I 

 received several interesting communications from well-known 

 naturalists, confirming my observations, though they had never 

 had the opportunity of observing such large numbers as I had. 



I had brought several small colonies home and kept them 

 in my aquarium where I closely Avatched them. On the first 

 Saturday in April — a few days before our only real snow- 

 storm last winter — I again visited the Gouliot Caves to verify 

 my observations. I have never seen these caves so free from 

 water as on this occasion. The pool — some three feet deep — 

 which has ordinarily to be waded through in order to reach 

 the inner caves was now perfectly dry. The explanation of 

 the mystery I was trying to solve was perfectly simple. 

 These creatures don't leave their old habitats although they 

 disappear. On the approach of cold weather they commence 

 to contract and to lose their colour until they become mere 

 specks, almost indistinguishable in appearance from the rock 

 on which they dwell. 



Doubtless this is a wise provision of nature ; for when 

 we remember what a large proportion of their bodies consists 

 of water, we can readily imagine what would be the result 

 of a hard frost. 



Now, however, with nearly all the water expelled from 

 their bodies, they are fairly safe. 



I tried the effect of slightly warming the water in my 

 aquarium, and almost immediately the Corynactis commenced 

 to swell out and to resume their natural colour. 



