Page:The fairy tales of science.djvu/161

Rh they assume the most lovely shapes. Each lump of jelly expands into a beautiful flower, having somewhat the form of a chrysanthemum, but a far more brilliant colour. When fully expanded, each flower displays a ring of turquoise beads, whose pure blue forms a beautiful contrast to the crimson, purple, and orange tints of the petals. These jewelled flowers are not to be compared with their aristocratic relations, the thick-horned anemones. Words can convey no idea of the beauty of these creatures. They are much larger than the last species, and some of them, when expanded, are five or six inches across. Their petals, which are very thick in proportion to their length, are delicately transparent, and prettily striped and ringed with various brilliant colours. These animated flowers have been well likened to quilled dahlias; but to complete the simile, we must suppose that the terrestrial flowers have petals of gelatine. The daisy-anemone is another beautiful species. They may be found in abundance upon some coasts, in the tide-pools and hollows. In the sunshine of a fair day they expand beautifully, and you may see them studding the face of the rock just beneath the surface of the water, from the size of a shilling to that of a crown-piece. If you touch one of these sensitive daisies, its circular disc will at once begin to curl and pucker at its margin, and soon take the