82 CALYCOSILVA CANTHARELLUS. 



This ray in all varieties is at its base 5-13 n thick, usually a little thicker 

 than the other rays. It thickens above and attains its maximum thickness about 

 a quarter of its length from the centrum of the spicule. From its thickest point 

 it tapers gradually towards the stout, blunt-pointed, distal end (Plate 6, figs. 14- 

 17). It bears numerous spines. These have the ordinary conic shape and are 

 not at all broadened and flattened like scales. The spines arising from the basal 

 part of the ray are vertical, quite distant, short, and straight (Plate 6, figs. 21, 22, 

 24; Plate 7, figs. 6, 8-10). Farther up they become more numerous, longer, and 

 more inclined toward the ray, their ends pointing obliquely upward. This oblique 

 direction is attained partly by the spines of this region arising obliquely, partly 

 by their being more or less abruptly bent in their basal portion. About two 

 thirds or three quarters of the way up the ray these spines attain their maximum 

 size. They are in this region about 15 n long, 1.5-2 ,u thick at the base, and arise 

 at an angle of about 70° from the ray. They are bent abruptly upwards 1-2 n 

 froni their base, the axis (chord) of their conic, slightly and somewhat irregularly 

 curved end-part enclosing an angle of about 23-30° with the axis of the ray. 

 Towards the end of the ray the spines gradually become smaller, those arising 

 nearest its freely protruding tip being only 5 /^ long, or still shorter. The distal 

 pinule-ray, together with its spines, resembles the tail of a mammal or wheat-ear 

 more than the cone of a fir-tree. Its maximum breadth is 15-32 /j. In respect 

 to this dimension there is no perceptible difference between the dermal and 

 gastral body-pinules and the body-pinules of the three varieties. 



The (dermal) pinnies of the stalk (Plate 6, figs. 26-34) have the same struc- 

 ture as the body-pinules but differ from them in their dimensions and the preva- 

 lence of forms with reduced proximal ray. Their lateral rays are only 54-100 ^ 

 long and the crosses formed by them 115-196 ^ in diameter. Their proximal ray 

 is, when properly developed, 50-90 fx long, when reduced, 4-10 ju. These rays 

 are 3-7 m thick at the base. The distal ray is 55-115 fi long, and 6-10 /u thick 

 at the base. The maximum breadth of this ray, with its spines, is 13-30 ix. 

 On the whole these pinules decrease in size from the upper to the lower end of the 

 stalk. 



I have above drawn attention to the fact that there are no, or hardly any, 

 intermediate forms connecting the pinules with reduced proximal ray with those 

 in which this ray is properly developed. In fact I have not observed a single 

 body-pinule with a proximal ray 21-59 /x long, the nearest approach to an 

 intermediate form being the pinule (Plate 7, fig. 8) in which the proximal ray is, 

 although 60 m long, nearly cylindrical and terminally rounded. 



