THE SCARLET CRISP-CORAL. 331 



covered with large round prominent warts ; head globose, smooth, imper- 

 forate ; very contractile, but not retractile. 



Mouth. A wide slit in the direction of the long axis : lip crenate, with 

 forty to sixty-five deep furrows. 



Colour. 



A brilliant orange-scarlet ; a little lighter on the inner tentacles : the 

 furrows of the lip intense blood-red. 



Size. 



Corallum. About one and a half inch in diameter, and a little less in 

 height. 



Locality. 



The coasts of Norway and Shetland : deep water. 



Of this species, by far the largest and noblest of the 

 simple European Corals, a specimen was dredged by Mr. 

 MacAndrew about twenty-five miles off East Shetland, in 

 ninety fathoms. The individual was broken by the dredge, 

 and only a portion of the corallum was secured, which is 

 now in the British Museum. There can be no doubt, 

 however, of its identity. 



A considerable number of examples have been obtained 

 by Mr. Sars at Oxfjord, close to North Cape, the extreme 

 northern point of Europe. It lives at an amazing depth, 

 even from 150 to 200 fathoms, where the pressure of the 

 superincumbent water must be immense. Clear as are 

 the waters of the northern seas, so vast a volume of water 

 must surely absorb nearly the whole of the rays of light, 

 and the rich hues of the animal arc therefore the more 

 remarkable. It lies free on the mud or clay, never having 

 occurred with evidence of recent attachment. 



The generic name is formed from ovXos, crisped, and 

 KvaOos, a cup. 



[Desmophyllum.] 

 ARCTICUS. 



[Flabellum.] 



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