34 
Dr. Reid on a new species of Actinia. 
undergo this process^ and that not throughout their entire length ; 
for even a portion of each of those that form young Medusae by 
transverse divisions of their substance, continues to live as a 
larva. The first colony I obtained was seventeen months in my 
possession before any of the individuals composing it underwent 
its development into young Medusae. That the larvae, even when 
living in the ocean, are not always formed in autumn and un- 
dergo their development into young Medusae in spring, is evi- 
dent from the fact, that two of the colonies in my possession were 
obtained from the ocean in July. Whether these larvae had 
been generated the preceding autumn, and continued to live as 
such up to the time they were obtained from the ocean, or had 
been generated at some period subsequent to this, it is impossible 
to determine. 
Account of a new Actinia. 
Though the Actinia I am about to describe has in many respects 
a close resemblance to the Actinia chrys ant helium of Mr. Peach, 
described and figured in Dr. Johnston^s late edition of his work 
on British Zoophytes,^ vol. i. p. 220, it yet differs from it suffi- 
ciently, at least as far as I can make out, to justify me in regard- 
ing it as a distinct species. If this should be confirmed, I would 
propose to name it Actinia cylindrica. 
Body elongated, cylindrical, free ; tentacula uniserial, submarginal ; 
mouth elongated upwards, forming a conical tube with small pro- 
cesses attached to its margin. 
This animal was found in St. Andrew^s Bay, by Mrs. Macdonald 
and myself about two years ago, immediately after it had been 
thrown ashore during a storm, and it was kept alive for three days. 
Fig. 21 (Plate VI.) is a representation of the form of the animal 
of the natural size. 
The body is cylindrical and marked by longitudinal lines. The 
inferior fourth of the body is translucent, more contractile than 
the upper part, and sometimes assumes nearly a conical form with 
the apex downwards. The upper three-fourths of the body are 
opake and of a faint pink colour. The tentacula are twelve in 
number, ranged in a single row, smooth on the surface, of a light 
pink colour, and having their internal or oral surface crossed by 
four zigzag white lines (fig. 22). They are elongated trans- 
versely or flattened from within outwards, and taper towards 
their free extremity. They were never seen more elongated than 
what is represented in fig. 21, but as the animal a])peared to be 
languid, it is quite possible they are capable of greater elongation. 
When contracted to the utmost they formed little conical emi- 
nences, projecting outwards and upwards, and were seen to be 
attached immediately below the outer margin of the disc. Twelve 
