REPORT ON THE ACTINIARIA. 27 



granules and shows an irregular distribution of its nuclei, its cells here become fine 

 filaments, reminding us of sense cells, which are thickest in the middle where the)- bear 

 their nucleus. They form a body which may be best compared in shape to a gustatory 

 bulb of the mammalia ; it is broad in the middle, but pointed above towards the 

 surface of the epithelium ami below towards the junction with the process of the ovum. 

 This constitution of the filaments! apparatus is rather a transition to Calliactis ; it seems 

 to me to indicate that the process of the ovicell only corresponds to the fibrous cord in 

 Calliactis, whilst the modified epithelial cells compose a newly added constituent. 



The transition into the final condition can be followed in different ovicells, step by 

 step, through all the stages (fig. G). Whilst the process of the ovicell is contracted, the 

 epithelial cells penetrate the supporting substance. Their body, therefore, stdl lies with 

 the nucleus in the epithelium. The nuclei gradually migrate ; we first see only a few 

 on the surface of the ovicell, later on the number increases till we have the appearance 

 described above. 



The peripheral part of the gastric cavity is divided by the twenty-four pairs of 

 septa into twenty-four intraseptal and twenty-four interseptal spaces. Twenty-four 

 intermediate tentacles and twenty-four marginal tentacles are connected with the 

 former, but only twenty-four marginal tentacles, and these the smallest, with the latter. 

 Two tentacles, an intermediate and a marginal, consequently belong to each intra- 

 space. (PI. II. fig. 6, shows an open intraseptal space with the two tentacles belonging 

 to it.) 



The three other specimens of Corallimorphus rigidus were taken at another date 

 (29th December 1873), and in a different place, at a depth of 1375 fathoms; and as 

 the animal observed by Moseley belonged to a third locality, it appears that these Actiniae 

 are very widely distributed in the great depths. 



There was little indication of the natural colouring in any of the three animals, as 

 their yellowish-brown hue was certainly referable to the change caused by the spirit. 

 They were all distinctly smaller ; one, plainly a very young specimen, was only 1 cm. 

 high, 2 - 5 cm. broad at the oral disk, and 1*5 cm. at the pedal disk. It had forty-eight 

 marginal tentacles arranged in the order already described ; on the other hand, there 

 were only twelve intermediate tentacles, the remaining twelve belonging to the third 

 cycle being still wanting. There were eight intermediate tentacles of the third cycle 

 in the specimen next in size, and ten in the third specimen. The last showed also most 

 striking irregularities in the number of the marginal tentacles, of which forty-two only 

 were observable. 



The pad-like thickenings were wanting on the wall, and the insertion lines of the 

 septa were consecmently plainly indicated externally only by longitudinal furrows ; 

 in this respect the three specimens deviate from the typical Corallimorphus rigidus 

 and approach Corallimorphus p)rofundus. The histological character of the sup- 



