Cliona. ZOOPHYTA. CORALLINAD.E. 517 



and are connected internally with ramified canals, in the vicinity of which 

 small yellow ova make their appearance in March and April ; the papillae 

 eject a current of water ; the marginal polypi are long, slender, and transpa- 

 rent, and their broad tentacula are slightly dilated at the extremities. 



Gen. XL. ALCYONIUM.— Circle of tentacula complete ; 

 fleshy bases, arborescent, investing or adnate, and regularly 

 covered with polypiferous papilla?. — Marine. 



86. A. gclatinosum. — Sea-ragged staff or grain. Arborescent, 

 the polypi with 12 equal tentacula. 



Fucus spongiosus nodosus, Ray. Syn. St. p. 49. Ellis, Cor. p. 87. t. xxxii. 



f. d. D Al. molle, ramosum, Bast. Op. Sub. i. p. 25. t. i. f. v. — A. gel. 



Mull. Zool. Dan. t. cxlvii. f. 1-4 — Not uncommon in deep water. 



Body adheres by a narrow base to stones and shells, in from 5 to 20 fa- 

 thoms water, ascending and subdividing irregularly into rounded branches, 

 with subacute terminations ; the surface is covered with minute, rounded tu- 

 bercles, having pale, perforated, quadrisulcated summits, from which issue 

 polypi, inversely bell-shaped, with 12 equal tentacula ; internally, it is sub- 

 cellular, with scattered round black bodies, which are probably the eggs. 

 The whole is greenish, translucent, with a smooth and gelatinous aspect. 



This species has frequently been claimed by botanists, without due consi- 

 deration, as a subject of the vegetable kingdom. It is the Fucus gelatinosus 

 of Hudson's Flora Anglica, the Ulva diaphana of Smith's English Botany, 

 and the Alcyonidium diaphanum of Hooker's Flora Scotica. 



87. A. hlrsutum. — Body investing, the polypi with from 18 

 to 20 tentacula. 



Investing fuci, common. 



This species differs from the preceding in the following particulars. It 

 grows in shallower water, among fuci and confervae, while the other is the 

 companion of Sertularioe and Flustne. Its growth is irregular, frequently 

 anastomosing, surrounding or connecting fuci, sometimes rising into blunt, 

 thinly subdivided, branches. It is of a closer texture, and the surface, being 

 covered witb close set conical accuminated papillae, gives it a hairy appear- 

 ance. The polypi are not protruded so far from the orifice of the papilla?, 

 and the feelers, which are more numerous, are constantly in motion. Some 

 doubts may be entertained if part of the synonimes prefixed to the preceding 

 species do not belong to the hirsutum. The one, however, in the Zool. Dan. 

 is too faithful a representation of the gelaiinoswm to admit of such a suspi- 

 cion. 



88. A. ecMnatum. — Body incrusting dead univalve shells ; 

 the polypi with 12 tentacula?. 



This species incrusts dead univalve shells exclusively; and is about the ^gth 

 of an inch in thickness. When first taken out of the water it is soft and 

 spongy, but becomes rigid on drying ; the surface is closely covered with tu- 

 bular papillae about ^th of an inch in length. 



The late Mr Montagu, in a letter to me, dated 12th July 1811, intimated, 

 in reference to a specimen which I had sent him : " The crusts on shells, 

 which gives them a muricated appearance, is what I have called Alci/onium 

 cchinatum. I do not know that it has been described or ascertained to be the 



