REPORT ON THE ALCYONARIA. 201 



slightly y^shaped, curved spindles, covered with sharp spines; size, 1*08 by 0"12 mm.; 

 079 by 0"058 mm. Between them lie smaller, very spiny spicules, which form thick 

 rods covered with branching warts ; size, 0"15 by 0'5 mm.; 0"2 by 0'05 mm.; O'l'Z by 

 0"03 mm. At the base of the polyp heads occur slender, curved, bow-shaped spindles, 

 whose concavity surrounds the heads ; size 0"58 by 0'08 mm. 



The white spicules of the heads are straight, very spiny spindles, reaching in size 

 0'58 by 0'08 to 0'12 by 0"03 ram. The colour of the colony is purple, that of the polyp 

 heads and of the tentacles white. 



This characteristic species is not, as Gray supposes, synonymous with SjJongodes celosia. 

 Lesson and Dana, which exhibits a totally different habit and a different mode of branching. 



Habitat. — Station 212, off Samboangan ; dejJth, 10 fathoms. 



Gray gives Australia, Shark's Bay, and the Philippine Islands. 



Spongodes corymhosa, n. sp. (PI. XXXVIb. figs. 3a, Zb). 



The entire colony exhibits a highly characteristic habit, which may best be compared 

 to that of a corymb. One can distinguish a short, thick, barren trunk, and a spherical 

 polyp-bearing head, composed of finely ramified branches arising on all sides. The 

 branches bear terminal clusters of polyp heads. The consistency of the entire colony is 

 soft and flabby, not rigid, for the spicules in the outer covering of the stem and branches 

 are only sparingly developed, and the internal canals, separated from one another by 

 thin walls, are very wide. 



Height of the entire colony 93 mm.; greatest diameter of the head 90 mm. Height 

 of the barren trunk 25 mm.; greatest diameter of the same 29 mm. 



The barren trunk diminishes in size towards the base and is fixed to foreigrn substances 

 by several stolon-like processes ; its outer covering is thin and in spirits is plicated. It is 

 continued into the branch-bearing stem, which markedly expands at the point of origin of 

 the first branches, so that its diameter reaches 35 mm. The thick branches arise in a 

 whorl around the stem immediately above the barren stem, and come off vertically. At 

 the upper end the stem divides again into four large, upright branches, which form a kind 

 of crown. Between the two whorls of branches there remains an unbranched portion of 

 the stem, 20 mm. in height. At a short distance from their point of origin the branches 

 fork into strongly diverging branchlets, and these into numerous twigs, all of equal size, 

 to the number of three to five. The twigs bear little secondary twigs, and each of the 

 latter terminates in a bundle of polyp heads. All the polyp heads develop to an equal 

 length, so that each twig forms an umbel, in which the polyp heads represent the flowers. 

 Each bundle of polyps, crowning the terminal twigs, consists of five to six individuals, 

 whose heads are placed on short peduncles armed with large spicules. One of the spicules 

 of each peduncle projects, for a slight distance only, beyond the little heads. 



(ZOOL. CHALL. EXP.— PART LXIV. — 1888.) SsS 26 



