214 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



base, which is conical above and of a whitish color and with or without ampliations. Polypide or body 

 large, white, expanding from the base upward, slightly gibbous on one side, tentacles numerous; the 

 fleshy peduncle connecting the body and stalk is comparatively long and usually some what enlarged just 

 below the attachment of the body. 



I am convinced from my studies of living and preserved material that too much stress has been 

 placed by systematists upon the condition of the connection between body and stem, and also upon 

 the presence or absence of annulations on the muscular base, as both of these vary in life with the amount 

 of contraction and in preserved material in the same manner, due, perhaps, to different means of killing 

 orfixation. Thus Jullien described his species clongata as new, partly on these characters (1. c.). Hincks 

 specifically states that in major the base is not annulated, but this does not apply to all specimens. Calvet 

 in a footnote to Jullien 's specific description places elongata as a variety of major. 



The species is well distributed throughout the Woods Hole region, though it is not very common. 

 Taken on piles, on the leg of a spider crab, and dredged at 3 to 13 fathoms on shells and stones. 



Barentsia discreta (Busk). [PI. xvni, fig. 5, $a.] 



Busk 1886, p. 44 (Ascopodaria discreta'). 



A small, delicate stolon, jointed at intervals where branches or pedicels have their origin. Pedicels 

 becoming slightly larger toward the top, chitinous, irregularly punctured by minute funnel-shaped pores, 

 or areolae, which on close examination are seen to penetrate the inner but not the outer layer. The 

 muscular cylinder at the base of the pedicel is more or less annulated. Pedicel and stolon horn color 

 varying with age, polypide and cylinder whitish, or the latter light brownish. Polypide small, some- 

 what gibbous on one side, attached to the pedicel by a flexible, annulate, fleshy portion, which is often 

 more or less bulbous. 



The only previous record for this species is the Challenger record "Station 135, off Nightingale I., 

 Tristan da Cunha, 100 to 150 fathoms. " It was naturally a surprise to find this species in our region, but 

 it is evidently well distributed, as I have taken it at four places in Vineyard Sound and once in Buzzard's 

 Bay. I have also taken it at Beaufort, N. C. , and at the Tortugas, Fla. It is a very inconspicuous form 

 and might easily escape observation, but it seems to be distributed all along our coast. 



SUBCLASS ECTOPROCTA NITSCHE, 1869. 



Order GYMNOLJEMATA Allman, 1856. 



All of the recent marine ectoproctous Bryozoaare included in this order, which is, consequently, a 

 very large one. The fresh-water ectoprocts comprise the order Phylactolaemata Allman, with but 

 a very limited number of genera and species. 



KEY TO SUBORDERS. 



1. Zoarium well calcified. Zooecia tubular, orifice usually round, without operculum , no appendicu- 



lar organs (avicularia and vibracula), no external brood pouch, but the ooecium consisting of a 

 modified zooecium Cyclostomata. 



2. Zoarium usually well calcified. Zooecial orifice closed by a movable lid-like operculum, appen- 



dicular organs frequently present, an external brood pouch usually present on fertile zooecia. 



Chilostomata. 



3. Zoarium never calcified. Zooecial orifice with an operculum consisting of a ring of setae, no appen- 



dicular organs or external brood pouch Ctenostomata. 



Suborder CYCLOSTOMATA Busk, 1852. 



This suborder is probably much older than the other groups of recent ectoprocts and is abundantly 

 represented among the paleozoic fossils. A noticeable diminution occurs in the tertiary, but a consider- 

 able number have persisted to the present time. 



