404 MEMOIRS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



In the papers "Die Gattung Cladocora" (1881) and "Korallenstudien" (1886, 1891), Prof. 

 A. R. von Heider has described in detail the anatomy and the relationships of the polyps to the coral- 

 luni in two species of Cladocora, and Astroides calycularis, Dendrophyllia ramea, and Madracis 

 n/i a n nsis. The work of von Heider is especially noteworthy on account of his contention that the 

 skeleton of corals is derived from an actual calcification of the ectodermal cells or calicoblasts. 



Dr. G. II. Fowler, in aseriesof five papers, "The Anatomy of the Madreporaria." appearing 

 in the Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science, from 1885 to 1890, has described in greater or 

 less detail the soft parts of a larger number of corals than any other student of the group, and has 

 brought together many important details of coral structure. In the introduction to his first paper 

 Fowler gives a review of the little that was then known of the anatomy of the Madreporaria. 



Prof. G. C. Bourne, in two papers, also published in the Quarterly Journal of Microscopical 

 Science (1887), describes at some length the anatomy of the corals. Fungia, Mussa, and Eupkyllia. 

 In 1893 Bourne gave a detailed description of the. postembryonic development of Fungia, founded 

 on material collected by Prof. A. C. Haddon, while in 1899 he published a masterly account of 

 the nature and origin of the skeleton in the Anthozoa, dealing particularly with the Madrepora- 

 rian skeleton and the calicoblastic layer. Bourne has also contributed the article "Anthozoa" 

 to Prof. Ray Lankester's Treatise on Zoology (1900), wherein he gives a clear account of many 

 of the structural details of the Madreporaria. 



W. L. Sclater, in 1886, contributed an anatomical description of Stepkmwt ■ ruckus moseleyanus, 

 and J. Stanley Gardiner (1900) has given a detailed account of the "Anatomy of a supposed new 

 species of Comopsammia from Lifu;" Miss Edith M. Pratt (1900) has described the anatomy of 

 Xn 'In I in porcellana (Moseley). 



Prof. G. von Koch, in a large series of papers, extending from 1877 to the present day, has 

 probably done more than any other worker toward elucidating the problems of Madreporarian 

 morphology, on the correct lines of embryology and the relations of the hard and soft parts as 

 revealed by microscopic sections. 



Prof. H. de Lacaze-Duthiers, in 1872-73, made two valuable embryological contributions, 

 " Developpement des Coralliaires," and records the results of the first attempts to rear coral larva? 

 to the skeleton-bearing stage, while his figure of the anatomical relations of the soft and hard 

 parts of Astroides calycularis has been copied into many of the text-books of zoology. Two 

 recent publications of Lacaze-Duthiers (1894, 1897) contain descriptions of a number of early 

 stages in the development of several coral species. 



Prof. II. Y. Wilson (1888) has carried out a very complete study of the embryology and larval 

 stages of Manicma areolata, as far as the stage at which the skeleton was about to appear; Prof. 

 A. C. Haddon (1890) has also published notes on the newly hatched larva of EupkyUia. 



In all probability the polyps of not more than fifty species of corals have been anatomically 

 studied, and then often incompletely, owing to the insufficiency of well-preserved material. It 

 must be acknowledged, that in so far as the results throw light upon the important question of 

 the natural relations of the various groups of corals, they are disappointing, especially when the 

 great amount of labor involved in conducting the investigations is taken into account. Similar 

 anatomical researches carried out on the allied group of the Actiniaria, by workers such as the 

 brothers llertwig, Haddon, McMurrich, Carlgren, and many others, have resulted in placing 

 our knowledge of these forms upon a fairly satisfactory morphological basis. No doubt it will 

 yet be possible to accomplish the same for the Madreporaria, as the polyps of more species, 

 especially reef-builders, become fully known. 



A residence in Jamaica, in the neighborhood of coral reefs, has afforded me the opportunity of 

 studying, within the past two or three years, the West Indian shallow-water corals in their living 

 condition, and of preserving them for subsequent examination. And in this connection I desire to 

 record my appreciation of the liberal action of the Hoard of Governors of the Institute of Jamaica 

 in enabling me to carry out such researches, purely scientific in their nature. 



In the shallow waters of Kingston Harbor. Jamaica, occur free colonies of the following species 

 of eoraU: Parties dwaricata, Manicina nri<>l<ii<i, Siderastrsea radians, Oladocora arbuscula, Solen- 

 astrsea kyades, and Oculma diffusa. Any of these can be easily kept in aquaria in a laboratory, 



