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XI. Observations on the Chromatology of Actiniae. 
By C. A. Mac Munn, M.A., M.D. 
Communicated by Professor M. Foster, Sec. P.S. 
Received January 8,—Read January 22, 1885. 
[Plates 69, 70.] 
Very few observations have been made on the Chromatology of the Actiniae, the 
reason probably being that observers have been led to believe that since their 
colouring matters cannot be got into solution with the ordinary solvents, the study 
of their spectra could hardly be attended with fruitful results. 
KrukenbergA who has added much to our knowledge of animal Chromatology 
generally, has attempted to enlarge the knowledge of this subject by his study of the 
pigments of Anthea viridis and A. cereus. 
Professor Moseley! published a short paper in 1873 on the colouring matter found 
by him in Bunodes crassicornis, which he called Actiniochrome, and in a subsequent 
paper,| in which an immense number of new animal pigments were brought to light, 
he describes a dark red colouring matter in Anthea which absorbed the blue end 
of the spectrum from before E onwards, and another in Adamsici which was pink, 
and in the fresh state gave a band between D and E. The filaments emitted from 
the pores of the body wall also gave two bands in green. 
Heider j examined Cerianthus membranaceus, var. fusca and var. violacea, and the 
colouring matter obtained, which Krukenberg calls Purpuridin, was extracted by 
ammoniacal water. It appears to resemble in some respects ( e.g ., colour-changes) one 
of the pigments which I have found in Sagartia parasitica, to be referred to again. 
0. and R,. Hertwig|| have tried to show that the so-called “yellow cells” or ‘figment 
* ‘ Vergleichend-physiologische Studien,’l 3te Reihe, 5 te Abtli., 1881, pp. 38-42, and, ditto, 2 te Reihe, 
3 te Abth., 1882, pp. 72-87. 
t“0n Actiniochrome, a Colouring Matter of Actiniae.” Quai’t. Journ. Micro. Soc., vol. xii., N.S., 
1873, p. 143. 
t “ On the Colouring Matters of vai’ious Animals, and especially of Deep Sea Forms dredged by 
H.M.S. Challenger.” Quart. Journ. Micro. Soc., vol. xvii., N.S., 1877, pp. 1-23. Polyperythrin was also 
found in some Actiniae by Prof. Moseley. 
§ “ Cerianthus membranaceus." (Haime.) “ Ein Beitrag zur Anatomie der Actinien.” Sonderabdr. aus 
den Sitzb. d. kk. Acad, der Wiss. zu Wien. Bd. lxxix., I. Abth., 1879, S. 7; also “ Ueber Sagartia tro- 
. glodytes.” Sitzungsb. der Wien. Akad., 1877. 
|| “ Die Actinien.” ‘ Jenaische Zeitschrift fur Naturwiss.’ Bd. xiii., 1879, S. 495-500. 
