260 Charles Stokes, Esq. on some Corals 



from a specimen of which the summits of the branches were 

 not quite perfect ; but as the lateral position of the opening-s 

 of the terminal cells is not mentioned, there is good reason 

 to believe that the present is a different species. It is to 

 call attention to this point, that the name ' lateralis'' is given 

 to this species, though it is at the risk of finding this charac- 

 ter common to others, when specimens are found in a per- 

 fect state. It is to be observed, also, that the cells of II. 

 frondiculata have not, strictly speaking, circular openings, 

 although the tube of the cell is cylindrical. The end of the 

 tube of the cell is, in the perfect specimens, much higher on 

 one side than the rest, so that the opening becomes elliptic 

 by being oblique to the line of the elongated tubular cell. 

 " A new species of Primnoa, which I name P. Bossii. 

 " A Melitoea, nov. sp. — M. Australis. 

 " A Madrepora I nov. sp. — M.fissurata. 

 " This is hardly to be considered a true Madrepore, but I 

 am unwilling to make a genus for it. 



" I send herewith drawings of the three corals last men- 

 tioned, which are perhaps the most interesting of the whole. 

 These drawings are carefully and correctly made ; and I will 

 say little of the description of them, as the figures will be 

 more useful than words. Although we have long known that 

 a Primnoa from Norway (of which I will speak presently), is 

 found at a great depth, and some other corals have been taken 

 at from 70 to 100 fathoms ; yet it is rare, as far as our pre- 

 sent knowledge instructs us, to find any corals, except perhaps 

 some of the Celleporoe at great depths ; and I am not aware 

 of any previous instance of a Melitoea or a Madrepora at all 

 resembling those here represented having been found except 

 at a small depth, and in a warm climate ; from which I had 

 concluded, that they required more of the solar light and 

 warmth than they could obtain at the depth from which you 

 took those specimens. Your Primnoa is, however, to me the 

 most interesting among them. The genus Primnoa was first 

 established by Lamouroux for the single species previously 

 called Gorgonia lepadifera, which is that found in Norway 

 above alluded to. Ehrenberg (in his " Corallenthiere des 

 rothen Mceres)" was the first to include in it other r.pecies, 



