REPORT ON THE ALCYONARIA. 245 



ccenenchyma of the stalk contains many spiny warty spindles, large and small, the warts 

 often coarse and distant ; also warty cylinders about half as broad as long, with thickly 

 warted double spindles. 



Sarcophytum tongatabuensis, n. sp. (PI. XLI. fig. 10). 



The colony has been torn from its basal attachment, but is nearly perfect ; it consists 

 of a sterile columnar portion, and of a mushroom-like capitulum.bearing dimorphic polyps. 



The columnar portion, which has been slightly injured, is hard and compact, 26 mm. 

 high, and of a flattened oval form. In section its basal diameters are 16 and 10 mm., and 

 from this tapering to diameters of 11 to 7 mm. just under the head. There is a slight 

 constriction of the column at a height of 10 mm. from the base ; below this the surface is 

 rough with large spiny spindles, while above it is smooth, though somewhat wrinkled. 



The capitulum is mushroom-shaped, dense, and of a hard consistency. After it rises 

 from the stalk it folds over, forming a deep gutter-like channel surrounding the latter, 

 which is 4 mm. wide. From the edge of this projecting portion it rises into a convex 

 oval head, the extreme measurements of which are 30 by 20 mm. in width and breadth, 

 and from 7 to 8 mm. in height. 



The autozooids are scattered over the whole of the edge and upper surface of the 

 capitulum, being more numerous and closer together on the rim of the edge. Thay are 

 completely retractile, within pit-like depressions in the ccenenchyma, the walls of which 

 can contract over the polyps when these are withdrawn. On the withdrawal of the body 

 of the polyp, the tentacles seem to be simply folded together against one another, and 

 then also they are drawn in. 



The siphonozooids are numerous, scattered all over the surface of the capitulum, 

 which is not occupied by the autozooids, the largest measure quite 0'5 mm. in diameter 

 they are slightly depressed below the surface of the ccenenchyma. The colour of the 

 column is a dull brown ; of the capitulum a bghter hue. 



The spicules of the sterile stem measure: — The curved spiny spindles r.3-0"3; 

 1-0-2 mm. The straight spiny spindles r06-0 -2 ; 1-3-0-2; 1-02 mm. The irregular 

 branching forms 1 ■2-0-3; 0-9-0-3 mm. The four-rayed forms O'S-O'S ; 0-76-0-2; 

 0-6-0-4 mm. In the polyps the spiny spindles measure 0-6-0-1 ; 0-8-006 ; 0-5-0-06 mm. 

 In the tentacles some slender curved and straight spiny sjDindles occur 0-16-0-02 mm.; 

 and some with broader heads 0-24-004 mm. 



Habitat. — Station 272, off" Nukalofa, Tongatabu ; depth, 18 fathoms. 



Sarcophytum atlanticum, n. sp. (PI. XLII. fig. 3). 



The colony consists of a sterile short stem, and a large deeply folded and spreading 

 capitulum, bearing the dimorphic polyps ; the total height of the colony is 70 mm. 



