REPORT ON THE ALCYONARIA. 29 



probable that this was dredged from deepish water outside the reef. The coenenchyina 

 is the least protected by spicules of all the species of the genus so far described. 



The spicules are but feebly developed, and measure 0'77-0"05 ; 073-0"07 ; 0"2-0'03 ; 

 0-12-0-02 mm. 



Habitat. — Reefs, Kandavu, Fiji. 



5. Ceratoisis palnue, n. sp. 



This species is established for a few fragments of a Ceratoisis, brought up from a 

 great depth off Palma, one of the Canary Island Group. 



The axis is apparently unbranched, and consists of a series of calcareous internodes of 

 about 15 mm. in length, by 1 mm. in breadth, with short horny nodes. The internodes 

 are smooth and hollow. 



The polyps are, as far as can be judged from the few present, scattered at long 

 intervals on the axis ; they are about 3 mm. in height, and about 1'5 mm. broad. 



The ccenenchyma on the axis is thin, membranous, of a dark brownish or yellowish 

 colour. 



The spicules on the ccenenchyma are either long, slender, spiny spindles, or short and 

 fusiform. Those of the pol3q)s are large stout spindles, tightly packed ; the blunt ends 

 of some five or six project beyond the retracted tentacles, forming a fringe ; the polyp 

 spicules are also echinulate. 



In some respects this form resembles Acanella simplex, Verrill, but the hollow axis 

 and the form of the spicules will easily distinguish it. 



The spicules measure 3'0-0'15 ; 2'0-0"15 ; 0"4-0'05 mm. in the ccenenchjTua, and 

 in the polyps from 2-5-0-5 ; 2-0-0-15 ; O-IS-O'OS mm. 



/jTatoa^.— Station 85, July 19, 1873; off Palma; lat. 20° 42' N., long. 18° 6' W.; 

 depth 1125 fathoms; bottom, volcanic mud. 



Genus 2. Acanella, Gray. 



Acanella, Gray, Cat. Lithophytes Brit. Hue., 1870, p. 16. 



„ Verrill {emend.). Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. xL No. 1, p. 21, 1883. 



This genus was established by Gray iovMopsea arhusculum, Yate Johnston, a branched 

 form. It was emended by Ve.rrill so as to include species with unbranched stems. 



Axis simple or variously branched ; intemodal regions long, calcareous, soUd ; nodal 

 regions short, homy. The branches when present arise from the horny nodes in twos or 

 threes. Base ^ith root-like projections clinging to rocks or anchoring in the mud. The 

 basal calcareous internodes are much shorter than those towards the summit. The 

 ccenenchyma is thin, with fusiform spiny spicules greatly varying in size. Polyps 



