688 Transactions of the Society. 



in which a calcareous deposit is embedded. The polyps are 

 restricted to a region occupying two-thirds to three-fourths of the 

 circumference of the ccenenchyma ; a longitudinal bare tract 

 occupies the remaining part. The verruca? are long and club- 

 shaped, and are evidently not retractile into the ccenenchyma ; 

 they are closely packed together, and are covered with minute 

 overlapping, scale-like spicules. The flat thin scales on the aboral 

 surface of the tentacles forms a sort of pseudo-operculum to the 

 partially retracted polyp. 



The chief types - of spicules are (1) in the ccenenchyma very 

 t hick spindles with close -set irregular warts, passing by gradual 

 transitions to almost spherical warty forms ; (2) in the polyps (a) 

 long thick spindles with few long warts ; (b) irregular forms and 

 crosses ; (c) small flat thin scales. 



Hichsonella flagellata sp. n. 



Elongated filiform colonies which, at any rate in the younger 

 specimens, have only a trace of a very open spiral structure. The 

 ccenenchyma is extremely thin and densely spiculose. The axis is 

 horny and calcareous, and is composed of concentric laminae. The 

 polyps are confined to a broad longitudinal band occupying about 

 two-thirds of the circumference. The verrucas are elongated and 

 club-shaped, and are not retractile into the ccenenchyma. The 

 spicules are exceedingly minute, and very characteristic. They 

 consist for the most part of (1) thick massive, warty spindles ; (2) 

 peculiar, bilaterally symmetrical forms, with a sort of thick folia- 

 ceous expansion ; (3) bi-rotate forms (like those in the Suherogorgia 

 verriculata) ; and (4) scales. 



Hicksonella capensis sp. n. 



Colony elongate, simple, and irregularly twisted in a spiral 

 manner. The ccenenchyma is thin, and very spiculose. The axis 

 is composed of concentric horny and calcareous laminae. The 

 polyps are disposed in a broad longitudinal band ; they are very 

 long, slender, and slightly club-shaped ; they are covered with small 

 spicules transversely arranged, and are not retractile into the 

 ccenenchyma. The spicules consist of (a) short, slightly warty 

 spindles ; (b) longer, and more warty spindles : (c) irregular forms ; 

 (cl) flat, irregular scales ; and (c) crosses. 



Distribution. — (1) Geographical. All three species were found 

 off the east coast of South Africa, and therefore their inclusion in 

 the Family Gorgonellidoe does not extend the distribution of that 

 family. 



H. spiralis. Off Cape Morgan 



H. flagellata. Off Cape Morgan. 



H. capensis. Eed Cliff, south of Morewood Cave, Natal. 



