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HISTORY OF THE SEA. 



mit crab finds the shell he has appropriated becoming too con- 

 tracted for his swelling proportions, he begins to set about 

 house-hunting for a new tenement. Like a prudent and care- 

 ful householder, however, he does not abandon his quarters 

 until he has found others the better suited to his wants. He 

 carries it about with him, even though it may be inconvenient 

 to do so, when engaged in house-hunting. On the beach there 

 is frequently the chance offered, in the places where this species 

 of animal is found, to observe how carefully one shell is exam- 

 ined, turned over, and tried, by the tenant of the old one in 

 his search for a new home. If after various trials of the new 

 house, he finds it will not suit him, he trudges away, still 

 carrying the old one, in search of another, and this course he 

 continues until his persevering search is rewarded with success. 



Still lower in the scale of animal life, and so closely 

 approaching the conditions of vegetable life that at the first 

 glance it is difficult to determine to which of the two divisions 

 they belong, are the Sea Anemones. 



Scientifically, these animals, for they are animals, are called 

 actinias. Attached to the ground by their base, their top is 

 formed by a series of tentacles, disposed in circles, around a 

 central opening giving access to the stomach, which fills the 

 whole interior of their bodies. When the anemones are feeding 

 and have their tentacles expanded, their various and brilliant 

 colors make the ground upon which they live appear like a beau- 

 tiful bed of gorgeous flowers. For this reason, and for the ease 

 with which they are kept alive, they are a favorite with the 

 keepers of aquaria, to which they make a most desirable addi- 

 tion. They are easily taken up from their natural habitat 

 and transferred to their new home. 



Their food consists of shell fish and other marine animals, 

 which they capture with their tentacles and transfer to their 

 stomachs. The indigestible portions of the food they take into 

 their stomachs are rejected through the same channel by which 



