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Bemarks on some Corals obtained from great depths in the Ant- 

 arctic Ocean, in a Letter from Charles Stokes, Esq., 

 F.R.S., F.G.S., &c., to Captain Sir James C. Ross, R.N. 



" Verulam Buildings, 26tA Feb. 1846. 



" My Dear Sir James, — I have found much interest in 

 the examination of the specimens you have sent me, which 

 were obtained by soundings, and the use of the dredge at 

 great depths ; and have to apologise both for delaying so 

 long to send you some observations upon them, and for send- 

 ing them now in so imperfect a state. 



" The fragments obtained by soundings from 400 fathoms, 

 11th August 1841, lat. 33°, 3r S., long. 107^ 40' E., consist 

 of pieces of shells and small corals, none of which appear to 

 have been brought up in a living state, with small angular 

 pebbles, very little rounded by attrition. Among them I find 

 two joints of stems of a small fossil Pentacrinite. 



" Among the small sand taken up by the soundings in 400 

 fathoms, August 1841, Professor Edward Forbes finds por- 

 tions of spines of Echinus, and of spines of Cidaris. 



" Of shells, a small broken Cerithium, mouth of a Resida, 

 a Pteropod allied to Peracle, and a fragment of Cleodora. 

 " Of Annelides, Spirorbis on the stones. 

 " Many foramenifera, among which are Textularia, Nodo- 

 sarige, and several of orbicular and renoidal forms in abun- 

 dance. 



" The corals brought up by the dredge from 270 fathoms, 

 19th Jan. 1841, lat. 72° 31' S., long. 173°, 39^ E., consist of 

 three species of Lepralia : Retepora cellulosa, a small piece 

 in a perfectly fresh and living state ; a Retepora or Hornera, 

 much resembling the Hornera frondiculata of Lamouroux, in 

 similar fresh condition. The polype cells are salient only at 

 the extremities of the branches. The cells appear also on 

 all sides of the branches, which must distinguish it from the 

 species mentioned. The absence of the openings of polype 

 cells from the exterior side of the branches, is made a gene- 

 ric character of Hornera by Lamouroux, but probably is only 

 of value to distinguish species. 



