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Hab. Coast of Dublin, 1842, on Sertularia, principally S. abietina, 

 A. H. Hassall. Coast of Cornwall, Couch. Ramsgate, J. 

 Coppin, Esq. Orkneys, Prof. E. Forbes. 



It is somewhat singular that this curiously formed zoophyte should 

 have been so long overlooked, since it is by no means uncommon. 

 One of its principal peculiarities consists in the circumstance that 

 the vesicles containing the ova are not, as they usually are, scattered 

 at intervals over the polypidom, but are united together so as to form 

 a cellular matrix. 



The entire polypidom, when perfect, presents to the naked eye the 

 characters of a minute sponge, with which it has doubtless been fre- 

 quently confounded by observers : specimens, when imperfect, that 

 is, when the cells are short, and the cellular matrix is either not de- 

 veloped, or has been destroyed, bear much resemblance to Cornularia 

 rugosa, for which also, on a superficial examination, it might be mis- 

 taken ; indeed, there is much reason to suppose that it is closely 

 allied to this species, near which, in a natural arrangement, it will 

 probably find its proper station. 



There is but little doubt that the Campanularia intertexta of Couch 

 is identical with Coppinia mirabilis, notwithstanding that the charac- 

 ters given of that species agree in scarcely any one particular with 

 the correct description of the zoophyte under consideration. The 

 specific name of intertexta has little or no application to this species, 

 and has therefore been omitted. 



The definition given by Mr. Couch of Campanularia intertexta is 

 as follows : — " Texture spongy, composed of single tubular fibres, 

 very much interwoven with each other, not ringed : cells campanu- 

 late, apertures even." 



The first accurate description of this remarkable production was 

 that of Sir John Dalyell, who has published a very correct account 

 of both the polype and the polypidom, under the name of Sertularia 

 arcta, (the Crowded Sertularia). The figures illustrating the struc- 

 ture of the polypidom, by no means do justice to its singular confor- 

 mation. The drawings which accompany this communication are 

 very accurate representations of two conditions of the polypidom, 

 and have been drawn with great care by the aid of the camera lucida. 



The specific name next in chronological order after intertexta is 

 that of Sir John Dalyell, and in strict propriety it ought to have been 

 retained ; it may be remarked, however, that the characters of the 

 genus Coppinia, as well as its generic and specific names, were deter- 



TRANS. MIC. SOC. VOL. HI. Y 



