REPORT ON THE ALCYONARIA. 103 



they stand out perpendicularly from the stem and its branches, at intervals of 1*5 

 to 2 mm. For the most part the polyps arise from both sides of the thicker branches 

 and twigs, leaving an intermediate portion of the coenenchyma free ; towards the summit 

 of the branches they arise more closely, and at the very extremity of these four or five 

 are found clustered together so that the apices appear thickened. The spicules of the 

 ccenenchjTna are long, straight, or feebly bent spindles, thickly set with sharp spines and 

 often with terminal knob-like swellings also covered with sharp spines ; occasionally they 

 are also curved with two diverging spiny prominences from their convexities. They 

 measure 0'25-0"05 mm., and 0'5-0'07 mm. On the body there is an outer layer of 

 club-shaped spicules, the thickened portion of which is armed with sharp spines ; under 

 this come the branched " Stachelplatten," many of which have a very characteristic form. 

 They consist of a broad root-like portion, from which branched spiny prominences project, 

 and a thickened club-like portion armed with pointed spines. These measure, length by 

 breadth— 0-3-0 -1 ; 0-4-0-2 ; 0-45-0-1 ; 0-22-0-06 mm. The colleret is formed of 

 curved spiny spicules, the tentacular spicules are broad spiny spindles, of which 

 the middle row is the largest; size 0"45 by 0"05 mm. The axis is soft, flexible, horny, 

 fibrous, a little compressed on the main stem, and flattened on the terminal branches; it 

 is of a yellowish-brown colour. While this species is very similar to the previous one, it 

 will be easily distinguished from it by the form of the spicules. 



Habitat. — Station 308, ofi" Tom Bay, Patagonia; depth, 175 fathoms; bottom, blue 

 mud. 



Genus 3. Anthomuricea, n. gen. 



Colony with a branched stem and a horny axis. The polyps have cylindrically 

 shaped calyces which stand out perpendicularly to the axis. These are supported 

 by eight series of spiny spindle-shaped spicules placed en chevron, which are often 

 more thickly packed at the apices. The basal poi'tions of the tentacles constitute an eight- 

 rayed conically projecting operculum ; each of the eight rays is composed of many 

 converging spiny spicules, which lie one above the other, and are placed en chevron. 



The ordinary habit of the only species belonging to this genus corresponds more or 

 less to that of a Paramuricea. The stem is upright, tree-like, and the branches are in 

 one plane ; the ccenenchjTna is thin and on the more slender branches translucent. The 

 polyps arise at somewhat wide intervals and stand in spirals of threes around the stem. 

 The apex of a branch is never occupied by a polyp. Every polyp possesses a high,, 

 cylindrical and perpendicularly erect calyx. When the oesophageal portion is retracted' 

 the colleret assumes the position of a covering over the oral region. The eight basal 

 tentacular portions form an eight-rayed conicaUy projecting operculum. The whole 

 polyp is clove-shaped. The spicules difi"er from those of Paramuncea in that no 

 "Stachelplatten" are developed. The spicules of the coenenchyma are curved or feebly 



