ii THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



British Museum, and of the Zoological Museum at Copenhagen, for the identification of 

 species described by the earlier authors, the majority of which are very imperfectly 

 characterised. The British Museum collection is very extensive, and contains represen- 

 tatives of over 40 species, including most of the types described by Gray. Unfortu- 

 nately very few of the specimens are preserved in spirit, and as the polyps of a large 

 number of species are still unknown I have been unable to suggest the generic position 

 of several of them. Owing to the very imperfect description of the majority of the 

 forms already known, and the consequent confusion in nomenclature which exists, it 

 has appeared necessary to extend the scope of the present Report so as to include an 

 account of the whole of the known Antipatharia. I trust that the additional informa- 

 tion which I am enabled to give of all the species that have come under my notice, 

 sixty-eight in all, will prove sufficient for their future identification. Undoubtedly a 

 study of the fine collections of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 

 would have rendered my work both easier and much more complete, but unfortunately 

 this has been impossible. Professor Alexander Agassiz, to whom I am indebted for 

 many acts of kindness, informs me that the specimens were handed to Professor Verrill 

 for examination several years ago, and that they have not yet been returned. 



The following pages include descriptions of 16 genera, 98 species and 4 varieties, of 

 which 11 genera, 41 species and 2 varieties are new. Representatives of 9 genera, 19 

 species and 1 variety are included in the Challenger collection, all of which are new. 

 The types of the remaining new species are all in the British Museum, with the' excep- 

 tion of three; two of these are preserved in the Zoological Museum at Copenhagen, and 

 the third is in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 



The fact that all the Challenger species are new is largely accounted for by the 

 circumstance that nearly all the specimens were obtained in regions hitherto unexplored, 

 or from which no Antipatharia had previously been recorded. The collection is remark- 

 ably deficient in littoral forms, whilst on the other hand quite a number of species have 

 been shown to inhabit abyssal depths, a fact which has hitherto been unknown. The 

 abyssal species present many new and interesting features, and are characterised by a 

 type of dimorphism which is apparently not found in any other Zoantharia. 



In the limited time allowed for the completion of my Report I have only been able, 

 in addition to the systematic portion of the work, to prepare a preliminary account of 

 the anatomy of the Antipathinas. The structure of the Schizopathime will form the 

 subject of a future paper, which I hope to finish before the end of the year. 



I desire to acknowledge gratefully the privileges afforded me by Dr. Albert 

 Giinther of the British Museum, Professor Chr. F. Liitken of Copenhagen, Mr. Charles 

 Stewart of the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, London, and Mr. Moore of the 

 Liverpool Free Museum, all of whom have rendered me every facility for an investiga- 

 tion of the collections under their charge. 



