The Sea Anemones. 
607 
some other object, and from this, at intervals, rise slen- 
der stalks, often branched in the most elegant manner. 
Upon the delicate branches we find little horny cups, 
each of which is the habitation of a tiny Polyp, fur- 
nished with a mouth and stomach, and with a circlet of 
slender arms to enable it to capture its prey. Other 
species are enclosed only in a soft membrane, but all 
rise from creeping roots. 
THE SEA ANEMONES. 
Besides the Polypi just mentioned as nearly related to 
the fresh-water Hydra and those forming the different 
kinds of Corals, the sea produces a vast number of other 
Zoophytes, the commonest kinds of which are well 
known as Sea Anemones. These animals are found 
adhering to rocks on all shores ; they consist of a rather 
thick column, the base of which forms an adhesive disc, 
while its summit, which is also a disc, shows a puckered 
mouth in the centre surrounded by several rows of 
