Page:Hardwicke's Science-Gossip - Volume 1.pdf/171

The fortunate reader who is taking his annual "constitutional" at the seaside desires that some interesting occupation shall be afforded him, and some source of amusement and instruction suggested. Is marine zoology to his taste, and does he love to sally forth with collecting-can, net, hammer, and chisel, and spend a few hours of the calm summer's day among those brilliant natural aquaria left for his inspection by the receding tide? To such an one I now address myself, and, as he will have ensconced himself in comfortable quarters near the scene of his researches, a no small desideratum to the shore collector, I shall at once take my place at his side, to share his accommodation and act as his adviser and guide.

Lovely as it is to gaze into the rockpool and watch its numerous inmates, the jealous "tide, that waits for no man," does not always allow the naturalist time for observation, sufficient for the identification of species. For this purpose an artificial aquarium, besides being a constant source of amusement, is indispensable; and as spare basins, pudding-dishes, &c., which after all make but sorry aquaria, are not always in abundance at seaside lodgings or hotels, the collector will do well to carry with him a portable apparatus which he may construct easily and cheaply as follows:—

Let him purchase at any of the glass warehouses some circular cap glasses (fig. 1) of different sizes,

say three in number, and, 8, 6, and 6 inches in diameter respectively. These will fit one inside the other, and when packed in a small hamper are easily and safely carried. Blocks of wood are necessary, on which to set up the glasses (figs. 2 and 3). These may be about six inches square, by three inches deep, the upper surface hollowed out in the form of the cap-glass, with a hole to admit the knob (fig. 3). A siphon will be found a useful adjunct, for drawing off the water when requiring to be changed. I may here observe that if it be required to carry anemones from one place to another, they must be packed in a box, in wet seaweed; the common wrack, Fucus serratus, being the best.

Thus equipped, and with Mr. Gosse's book on Sea Anemones for reference, if he desires to know more than we are about to tell him, let him and us to our work.

First there is the Plumose Anemone (Actinoloba dianthus, of a cylindrical form, ending in a simple thickened parapet, separated by a fosse from the outer tentacles. The colour is variable. I have usually found them at Spanish Point, county of Clare, my favourite hunting-ground, of an orange fawn-colour. The plaited outline of the mass of tentacles, the parapet of the column, and the single gonidial groove of the mouth, are unmistakable characters of this species (fig. 4), and it is generally distributed along the coast. In collecting this, and, indeed, most other species, care must be taken in removing them from the rock, as an injury to the base may cause death. The safest way is to remove, if possible, with hammer and chisel, the piece of rock