"The anemones," Frédol tells us, "are voracious, and full of energy; nothing escapes their gluttony; every creature which approaches them is seized, engulfed, and devoured. Nevertheless, with all the power of their mouth, their insatiable stomachs cannot retain the prey they have swallowed. In certain circumstances it contrives to escape, in others it is adroitly snatched away by some neighbouring marauder more cunning and more active than the anemone." In PL. IV. are represented the principal species of Anemone usually observed in the aquarium. Figs. 1, 2, and 3, _A. sulcata_, is surmised by Johnson to be the young of _A. effoeta_ (Linn.). It is also quoted as a synonyme of _Anthea cereus_, from Drayton's stanza: "Anthea of the flowers, that hath a general charge, And Syrinx of the weeds, that grow upon the marge." Fig. 4, _Phymactis Sanctæ Helenæ_ (Edw.); Fig. 5, _A. Capensis_ (Lesson); Fig. 6, _A. Peruviana_ (Lesson); Fig. 7, _A. Sanctæ Catherinæ_; Fig. 8, _A. amethystina_ (Quoy); Fig. 9, _Comactis viridis_ (Milne Edwards). "It is sometimes observed in aquariums that a shrimp, which has seen the prey devoured from a distance, will throw itself upon the ravisher, and audaciously wrest the prey from him and devour it before his eyes, to his great disappointment. Even when the savoury morsel has been swallowed, the shrimp, by great exertions, succeeds in extracting it from the stomach. Seating itself upon the extended disk of the anemone, with its small feet it prevents the approach of the tentacles, at the same time that it inserts its claws into the digestive cavity and seizes the food. In vain the anemone tries to contract its gills and close its mouth. Sometimes the conflict between the sedentary zoophyte and the vagrant crustacean becomes serious. When the former is strong and robust, the aggression is repelled, and the shrimp runs the risk of supplementing the repast of the anemone." If the actinias are voracious, they can also support a prolonged period of fasting. They have been known to live two and even three years without having received any "nourishment."[7]