106 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
which he had a great liking, so as to al- 
ways have him in the most robust health. 
Every morning I applied the keen razor 
to the extreme outer edge of his base, and 
so secured from four to five fragments. 
Did it pain him ? No ; not in the least. 
Did he close up suddenly ? No. Did he 
stop taking the gentle shrimp ? No. He 
just went right on attending to his own 
private, every-day al¥airs. And as fast as 
his base grew out again, I relieved him of 
it ; and thus it came to pass that in course 
of time I had gathered about him a proud 
family of anemone youngsters just like 
their papa and mamma, for anemones 
are both in one. 
Fig. 3 represents a section of anemone, 
showing the inner tube or stomach, and 
its division by numerous radiating par- 
titions. 
To again illustrate the wonderful tenac- 
ity of life that these animals possess, I 
will relate a remarkable example of en- 
durance. When col- 
lecting at Cape Cod, 
Mass., I left by acci- 
dent some forty or fifty 
small-sized anemones 
on one of the long- 
docks. After the ex- 
piration of several 
days, I had occasion to visit this same 
dock; the anemones were still there, but 
were very mucli dried up and parched, so 
much so that they presented hardly more 
than what appeared to be a circular stain 
on the string-piece of the dock. Still, it 
occurred to me to peel them off carefully 
and place them in water, just to ascertain 
if they still possessed any vitality. Hav- 
ing done so, I forgot all about them for a 
week's time, and, upon examining them, 
w^as greatly surprised to find that fully 
one-half of the number had survived the 
ordeal through which they had passed. 
With all varieties of anemones many in- 
teresting freaks of form occur, as for in- 
stance, I have had anemones with double 
and treble disks (Fig. 1), and others with 
two bodies (Fig. 2) starting from a com- 
mon base. 
In collecting the smaller va.rieties of 
anemones great care must be taken, when 
detaching them from the timbers or rocks 
on which they have fastened, not to injure^ 
or tear througli the base, so that any part 
of the outer wall of the anemone becomes, 
lacerated, or otherwise they will die. The 
best method is to slowly insert the nail of 
the thumb under the outer i^ortion or rim 
of the foot of the anemone, and then, by 
a persistent and slow pressui^, peel the 
foot away from its attachment. 
Fig. 4 shows the " scraper," mentioned 
in the February issue of the Young Sci- 
entist, intended for capturing anemones.. 
Fig. 4. 
It is well for our younger readers to bear 
in mind that anemones can be sent a great 
distance by express when packed in what 
is known as " dry packing." By dry pack- 
ing is meant placing the anemones be- 
tween layers of damp rock-weed (Fucus 
noclosus), from one to two inches in depth. 
The box in which the anemones are packed 
should be thoroughly soaked both inside 
and outside for a few days. This will 
cause all the joints to swell, and thus 
make the box air-tight. Some very care- 
ful collectors place an inner lining in the 
box consisting of oiled or rubber-coated 
paper, which can be obtained of all flor- 
ists, at little cost. 
