154 HISTORY OF BRITISH ZOOPHYTES. 



characteristics is, that its pinnae or plumules lean so much 

 to one side (as the fine figures of it by Elhs and Dr. John- 

 ston indicate), that it has somewhat the appearance of being 

 unilateral, and consequently like a feather shorn of its rays 

 on one side. In this specimen the plumules, instead of 

 leaning to one side, proceed uniformly from the stem in 

 opposite directions; and as the plumules on each side of 

 the stem were upwards of an inch in length, and of a silvery 

 colour in the water, handsome feathers were thus formed, 

 fitted to vie even with those in the tail of the beautiful silver 

 pheasant. In one respect they differed from the tail-fea- 

 ther of a real pheasant, — the pinnae came not to a point, 

 but continued to diverge on each to the top, so that the 

 summit had rather a rounded appearance, approaching that 

 of the peacock feather. 



\Ve were going to say, that in a still more important respect 

 it was singularly beautiful, in having vesicles, but we now 

 remember that it was a specimen subsequently obtained 

 that had this distinction. We were much struck with its 

 remarkable appearance, and having observed that it was 

 mentioned in the first edition of Dr. Johnston's * History of 

 British Zoophytes,' that the vesicles of this handsome coral- 

 line were still a desideratum, I sent the specimen forthwith 



