A boy who kept a large Anemone in a tank of sea water, was
astonished to find that in a short time, he had not one, but hundreds,
of the creatures. The tiny Anemones were fixed to the glass and rock,
all fishing for food with their little outspread tentacles. Sometimes
the Anemone will calmly divide itself into two, each half becoming a
perfect Anemone!
Anemones are of many shapes, sizes, and colours. The loveliest of our
British ones is the Plumose Anemone. It is like a carnation, and may
grow to be six inches high--that is, nearly as long as this page. It is
known by its shape, not by its colour. It may be any of these
colours--brown, deep green, pale orange, flesh colour, cream, bright
red, brick colour, lemon, or pure white.
There are many other creatures in the sea which resemble plants and are
often mistaken for them. The Sea Lily (p.49) is one of the flower-like
animals; it is a relative of the Starfish, living in deep water. The Sea
Mat (p.59) is often found on the shore. It seems like a horny kind of
weed, but is really a colony of tiny animals, each one having its own
little cell to live in.
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