The tentacles are variable in number. In _Edwardsia beautempsii_, for example, they may be 14-16 in number, arranged in a single row round the oral disc. In _E. timida_ they vary from 20 to 24. The normal number appears to be eight tentacles of the first cycle, corresponding to the eight primary inter-mesenteric chambers, _plus_ 6 or 12 tentacles, corresponding with the chambers limited by the more rudimentary mesenteries,—making a total of 14 or 20 tentacles; but by the suppression of the two primary dorso-lateral tentacles, or by the addition of tentacles of another cycle, the actual number is found to vary considerably. The Edwardsiidea are not fixed to the bottom, but are usually found deeply embedded in sand, the aboral extremity being pointed and used for burrowing purposes. The general colour of the body is yellow or yellowish brown, but it is partly hidden by a short jacket of mud or sand and mucous secretion. The oral crown frequently shows beautiful colours. De Quatrefages relates that in _Edwardsia beautempsii_ the oral cone is golden yellow, and the tentacles, transparent for the greater part of their extent, terminate in opaque points of a beautiful yellowish red colour. [Illustration: FIG. 165.—_Edwardsia beautempsii._ Nat. size. (After de Quatrefages.)] {377}FAM. 1. EDWARDSIIDAE.—Several species of this family have been found in the British area. They are very local in their distribution, but sometimes occur in great numbers. _Edwardsia beautempsii_ occurs in shallow water near the shores of the English Channel and has been found in Bantry Bay; and _E. carnea_ and _E. timida_ have also been found in the Channel. _E. tecta_ is a recently described species from the S. Irish coast, and _E. allmani_ and _E. goodsiri_ are found in Scottish waters. FAM. 2. PROTANTHEIDAE.—This family, constituted for the reception of three remarkable genera, is now usually included in the order Edwardsiidea on the ground that not more than eight mesenteries are complete. The genus _Gonactinia_ exhibits the very exceptional character of having a thick layer of muscles in the body-wall (cf. Cerianthidea, p. 409), and it is also remarkable for the frequency with which it reproduces itself asexually by longitudinal and, more rarely, by transverse fission. It has been found in Norway, the Mediterranean, and on the reefs of New Caledonia. The other genera of the family are _Oractis_ from California, and _Protanthea_ from the coast of Sweden. ORDER II. ACTINIARIA.