Si 



on tab. 25, fig. 5 of Ellis and Solander's Natural History of Zoophytes, which forms part 

 of their Corallina Penicillus. Lamouroux expressly states that he had never seen the actual 

 plant and complains of the difhculty of founding a description on a mere figure. Ellis and 

 Solander's specimen is we believe 110 longer in existence ; hence it is impossible to make sure 

 what Nesea pyramidalis really is. If Ellis and Solander's fig. 5 is an accurate representation, 

 we believe that we have found in the Rayner plant, mentioned above, a clue to the original 

 specimen. The Rayner plant exactly corresponds with the figure quoted so far as the capitulum 

 is concerned ; but lacks the pyramidal stipes emphasised by Lamouroux. This in itself is not 

 of importance ; for the figure quoted clearly shows that the stem proper is very short and 

 passes imperceptibly into a large conical mass of matted root-fibres, an abnormal but not 

 uncommon occurrence in the genus. We therefore believe that Lamouroux was in error in 

 describing his Nesea pyramidalis as having a pyramidal stem ; and we consider that the 

 Rayner and Scrivener plants above-mentioned represent N. pyramidalis Lamx., i. e. Penicillus 

 pyramidalis Decne. Thus N. pyramidalis is in our opinion nothing but a lax state of P . 

 Lamouroux ii var. gracilis\ but of course we feel that in the absence of the type-specimen it 

 is impossible to be absolutely certain. 



We ought to add that in Herb. Decaisne there is a specimen named a JV. pyramidalis 

 Lmx. (Antilies)" apparently in Lamouroux's own writing, to which Decaisne has added 

 "(Decaisne!)" to show his approval of the determination. This is however merely a small 

 plant of P. dumciosus with a pyramidal mass of matted root-fibres. The flaccid filaments of 

 its capitulum in 110 way resemble the well-calcified rigid filaments represented in Ellis and 

 Solander's figure. In diameter they correspond with those of P. dumetosus (see pi. XIX, 

 fig. 158 f) (see also p. 78). 



An aberrant form of P. Lamouroiixii f. graeilis is seen in Dr. M. A. Howe's n" 1 74S 

 from Key West. It is a ragged and dishevelled specimen with a short stem and filaments 

 laxly disposed and varying from 6 — 1 2 cm. in length. 



The geographical distribution of P. Lamouroiixii is confined to the West Indian region. 



ó- 



Penicillus capitatus Lamarck 



Sur les Polyp. empat. in Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris XX. 1S13. p. 299. 

 Syn. Sceleton fungi terrestris Seba Rerum Natural. Thesaurus I. 1734. p. 5, tab. 1, fig. 10. 

 Corallina penicillus Linnaeus Syst. Nat. Ed. X. 1758, p. 807. sp. 10. 

 Corallina penicillus Linnaeus Syst. Nat. Ed. XII reformata, vol. I. 1766. p. 1305. 

 Corallina penicillus Pallas Elenchus Zoophytorum 1766. p. 428 n° 10. 

 Corallina penicillus Ellis & Solander Nat. Hist. Zoophytes 1786. p. 126, tab. 25, fig. 4. 

 Corallina penicillus Gmelin Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. I, part VI. 1790. p. 3843. 

 Corallina penicillus Bosc Hist. Nat. des Vers (Suites a Buffon) vol. III. 18 . Paris (Déterville) 



1802. p. 72. 

 Nesaea penicillus Lamouroux Mem. Class. Polyp. Corall. in Nouv. Buil. Sci. Soc. Philomat. Paris 



III. 1812. p. 185. 

 Penicillus capitatus Lamarck Polyp. empat. in Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris XX. 18 13. p. 299. 

 ? Nesea eriophora Lamouroux Hist. des Polyp. Corall. flex. 18 16. p. 257. 

 Nesea penicillus Lamouroux op. cit. p. 258. 

 Penicillus capitatus Lamarck Anim. sans vert. torn. II. 18 16. p. 341. 



SIEOGA-EXVEDITIE LXII. II 



