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ANEMONE. 
  
  
the top. The most common of all the British species 
of sea-A. is the Actinia Mesembryanthemum, which 
has received its specific name from another floral 
association. It attaches itself to rocks and stones 
from low-water almost to high-water mark, and 
when left by the tide, appears as a sub-conical 
liver-coloured or greenish mass, not more than 1—1% 
inch in diameter, which, when touched, is found 
to be very smooth and slippery, but of pretty firm 
consistency. The tentacula, when fully extended, 
are in length nearly equal to the height of the body, 
and are nearly of the same colour. An azure line 
frequently encircles the base; and on the base are 
dark-green lines converging towards the centre, and 
which are formed by radiating vertical plates in the 
fleshy substance of the animal, analogous (although 
not calcareous) to the calcareous partitions in the 
single-starred madrepores. Around the margin of 
the mouth, there is a circle of azure tubercles, like 
turquoise beads of the greatest beauty. These are 
only to be seen when the mouth is pretty fully 
expanded. They are about twenty-five in number 
in full-grown specimens. Their use is not known, 
though they have been conjectured to be eyes.—A 
smaller species, 4ctimia (or Sagartia) troglodytes 
olive-green, with snow-white stripes and numerous 
tentacula, is pretty common on the British shores, 
inhabiting holes in the rocks, often the deserted 
holes of the Pholas, above which its oval disc and 
tentacula scarcely rise, and into which it quickly 
withdraws, upon being disturbed. A number of 
species inhabit holes as this does.—Actinia (or 
Bunodes) coriacea, which attains a diameter of two 
inches, attaches itself to sand-covered rocks, and is 
often much buried in the sand. It is covered with 
pale perforated warts, which have the power of 
agglutinating to themselves sand, gravel, fragments 
of shell, &c.; so that, when the tide is out, the 
animal is readily passed over by the inexperienced 
eye as a mere inequality in the surface of the sand, 
unless some accidental pressure cause it to squirt 
ut water through its tentacula; as, in such circum- 
stances, many of the species are very apt to do, 
sometimes to the annoyance of those who incau- 
tiously meddle with them.—Actinta (Bunodes) crass- 
tcornis is one of the largest and most beautiful British 
  
    
  
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Actinia crassicornis. 
sea-anemones, being about four inches in height, and 
fully more when expanded between the tips of 
the opposite tentacula. It exhibits great diversity 
of the most beautiful colours. Red is usually 
  
  
predominant ; the surface of many is variegated with 
white, or with orange-green and yellow. It occurs 
almost totally white, cream colour, sulphur yellow, 
and bright scarlet with pale warts like ornamented 
beads.—Beauty of colour and form are still more 
abundantly lavished on Actinia Dianthus, a still 
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Actinia Dianthus. 
larger species, with very numerous tentacula, which 
inhabits deep water.—Anthea Cereus is, on some 
parts of the coast, one of the most abundant sea- 
anemones. Its tentacula are from 120 to 200 in 
number, are longer than in the Actinize generally, 
and are incapable, it is said, of being retracted, as in 
the true Actinie, but remain constantly expanded, 
and are almost never completely at rest. 
Of all the species, Actinia Mesembryonthemum is 
perhaps most easily kept in the aquarium. It not 
unfrequently changes its place, and its locomotion is 
an interesting subject of observation. It will subsist 
for a considerable time without supplies of food, but 
readily accepts morsels of beef or mutton, fish, or 
almost any kind of animal food. The tentacula with 
which the offered food first comes in contact attach 
themselves to it; those next to them are in motion, 
as if to support them, if necessary, and a sort of 
sympathy seems to extend even to the most remote; 
but except in the case of struggling prey, or of a 
very large morsel, only a small number of the whole 
tentacula are usually employed in conveying the 
food into the mouth, or, more properly, into the 
stomach, for they do not seem to part from it ¢ill 
they have fairly lodged it there. 
Sea-anemones are extremely voracious, and 
almost every observer has his own anecdotes to 
illustrate it. Dr Johnston relates one which at the 
same time remarkably illustrates their power of 
reproducing organs of their own body. ‘I had once 
brought to me a specimen of Act. crassicornis, that 
might have been originally two inches in diameter, 
and that.had somehow contrived to swallow a valve 
of Pecten maximus of the size of an ordinary saucer. 
The shell, fixed within the stomach, was so placed 
as to divide it completely into two halves, so that 
the body, stretched tensely over, had become thin 
and flattened like a pancake. All communication 
between the inferior portion of the stomach and the 
mouth was of course prevented ; yet, instead of 
emaciating and dying of an atrophy, the animal had 
availed itself of what undoubtedly had been a very 
untoward accident, to increase its enjoyments and 
  
  
  
   
    
   
   
   
  
  
   
  
   
   
   
  
  
  
   
    
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
   
    
   
   
    
   
  
    
  
    
    
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
   
  
   
   
   
  
    
  
  
  
  
    
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