EEPORT ON THE ANTIPATHARIA. 83 



more numerous. In the form of the axis and character of the spines, this species comes 

 nearest to Cirripathes anguina, Dana, from which, however, it differs, in having shorter 

 and more numerous unequal spines, arranged in irregular longitudinal rows. The scleren- 

 chyrna is about 1 "4 mm. thick, black and shining, the diameter of the central canal being 

 slightly less than one-third of that of the axis. I have not noticed the nodes in the axis, 

 mentioned by Dana as occurring at irregular intervals in Cirripathes anguina, but as 

 this specimen had the polyps well preserved all over the axis, it did not seem advisable 

 to disturb them any more than actually necessary. The polyps (in spirit) are dull black, 

 rounded in outline, and stand out prominently from the ccenenchyma, which is relatively 

 thin and pale. The polyps are a little irregular in size, and average about 1 '5 mm. in 

 diameter. About five are distributed to each centimetre in the length of the axis, but 

 not quite in a straight line. The height of the polyps from the ccenenchyma to the tip of 

 the tentacles is usually about 1 '7 mm. The polyps are distributed somewhat spirally, 

 but the arrangement is irregular. The mouth is situated on a prominent oral cone, 

 which is constricted at the base, where it joins the general surface of the peristome. In 

 specimens preserved with the mouth open, the outline presents ten crenations due to an 

 evolution of the stomodseum, but at first sight appearing like ten stunted circumoral 

 tentacles. The crenations correspond with the ten inter-septal chambers which are 

 continued into them. The tentacles are short, thick, and rapidly tapering, and are 

 frequently laid around the mouth in spirit specimens (PL X. figs. 9 and 12). 



This being the only species of the genus of which I have been enabled to examine 

 sections, it may be well to add a few words concerning the structure of the ccenenchyma. 

 In most Antipathidse the polyps are normally distributed along the branches in a 

 single linear series, in which case neighbouring polyps are brought into communica- 

 tion with one another by two stolon-like outgrowths of their ccelentera occupying the 

 transverse axis of the polyps. In this genus the polyps are distributed all around the 

 stem, and the coenenchynia is, consequently, not so important, consisting only of inter- 

 zooidal areas which correspond with that portion of the ccenenchyma in other forms 

 occupying the zooidal surface of the stem or branch. The interzooidal communication is 

 also apparently brought about in a different manner. The ccenenchyma contains a 

 number of irregular canals, collected into groups in the interzooidal areas, which take 

 a general direction at right angles to the axis of the stem. These communicate with 

 the base of each polyp at one or more points (PL X. fig. 13). Thus the interzooidal 

 canals in the genus appear to be more nearly related to those of Savaglia, than to 

 those of the majority of other Antipathidse. Whether Sticlwp>athes agrees with 

 Cirripathes in this respect is at present uncertain, but the observations of Pourtales 

 seem to support such a view. In Stichopathes, however, the polyps are distributed in 

 a single linear series, so that his suggestions on this point require verification. 



Habitat. — Off Cape Moresby, New Guinea, in 4 fathoms (Brit. Mus.). 



