REPORT ON THE ANTIPATHARIA. 141 



cularly in the upper portion of the colony, arise at a very narrow acute angle. The apex 

 of the stem is broken off; near the point of fracture is an elongate branch, 14 cm. long, 

 bearing only one branchlet, 6 cm. long, about the middle. The succeeding twelve centi- 

 metres bear eight branches, five of which are on the same side ; one springs from the 

 posterior surface, and two are subopposite. Branches up to 10 cm. in length are usually 

 simple, longer ones generally bear one branchlet, which is usually simple. In certain 

 cases a branchlet may be almost as long as the branch from which it springs, in which 

 case it bears a secondary branchlet. The ultimate branchlets are from 4 to 6 cm. long. 

 The whole axis is only very slightly tapering, and there is, practically, no difference 

 between the diameter of a branchlet and of the branch from which it arises. The 

 sclerenchyma is black or dark brown, very slender and fragile, and clothed with a large 

 number of very long slender spines, which materially add to the apparent thickness of 

 the axis. The spines are not disposed in regular spirals but form longitudinal rows, of 

 which six may be recognised from one aspect. The members of a row are separated 

 by an interval fully equal to the length of the spines comprising it. All are subecmal 

 in length, but those in one row are sometimes broader at the tip than those of an 

 adjoining row. All are very long, considerably longer than the diameter of the axis. 

 In form they are of the " cylindrical " type. The base is very broad, about half the 

 length, and somewhat compressed laterally. The tapering portion is gently curved 

 upwards. 



The form of polyp has been described amongst the generic characters. All are closely 

 packed, with no space for lateral prolongations of their ccelentera. About five usually 

 occur to a centimetre. The sagittal tentacles disappear first, and in the older portions of 

 the colony the polyps have only four tentacles, namely those bordering the transverse axis. 



In the mode of branching this species probably comes near to Aphanipathes thyroides 

 (Pourt.), but differs in the form of polyp and in the spines, which in the latter are 

 irregular in length and more elongate in the region of the polyp. The branching has 

 much in common with Aphanvpathes sarothamnoides, n. sp., and comes still nearer to 

 Antipathes mediterranea, n. sp. In both cases the form of polyp and the shape and 

 arrangement of the spines afford sufficiently distinctive characters. 



Habitat— Off St. Paul's Rocks, in 10 to 80 fathoms; August 28, 1873. 



Genus Par antipathes, n. gen. 



Antipathes (j)ars), Auctt. 



Polyps very much elongated in the transverse axis, i.e., in the direction of a branch. 

 In Parantipathes larix the transverse diameter is three or four times as great as that in the 

 sagittal direction. The tentacles are slender and elongate, and appear to be arranged in 



