A history of the British sea-anemones and corals / by Philip Henry Gosse.

  • Gosse, Philip Henry, 1810-1888.
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A history of the British sea-anemones and corals / by Philip Henry Gosse. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    say, if one alone of the disks be fed, the rest will presently- become equally distended, as if partaking of a common life. On breaking one of these double skeletons, however, no communication is found to exist between the cavities ; and hence we must conclude that such instances are due to the accidental fixation of two or more gemmules in close proximity to each other, and the coalescence of the cal- careous walls in process of growth. The name Caryophyllia is formed of icapvov, a nut, and <f>vXkov, a leaf,—q.d. a nut of leaves = plates. The specific name is in honour of Thomas Smith, who appears to have first observed it on the south coast of Devon. A curious little Barnacle (Pyrgoma Anglicum) is para- sitic on this species, affixing itself to the outer edge of the plates ; two are sometimes found on the same coral. The corallum is very hard. An hour's rubbing of one on a slab of marble rough from the saw, with a view to a longitudinal section, produced little effect on the coral, though it effectually polished the marble. The following list of habitats show that the species is widely scattered around our coasts. Shetland (deep-water), Fleming: Moray Firth (d. w.), W. G.: Guernsey (low-water), T. D. II.: Torquay (1. w. abundant, d. w. rare), P. II. G. : Dartmouth (1. w.), E. W. H. E.: Cornwall (1. w. abundant), B. Q. C. : llfracombe (1. w. abundant), P. E. G.: Oban, J. A.: Larne (d. w.), G. D. (b.) ; Lambay, R. Ball: Dalkey Sound (1. w.) R. B.: Wexford Bay, IV. M Galla : Nymph Bank (d. w.), W: T.: Youghal, R. B.: Bantry Bay (1. w. common), E.P. W.: Connemara, W.MC: Bundoran, R. B.: Lough Swilly (d. w.), G. D. (b.) : Lough Foyle (d. w.) G. D. (b.) Corynactis. Smithii. [cyathus].