144 A. E. Verrill — Bermudian and West Indian Beef Corals. 



Dana (Zooph., p. 336, pi. xxi, fig. 8) refers to two large specimens 

 of undata that he had seen. One of these was in the American 

 Museum, New York. The other in the Mus. Acad. Nat. Sciences, 

 Philadelphia. I have been unable to find either of these specimens, 

 but there is an unpublished sketch of the latter, by Dana, in the 

 Yale Musenm. Dana states that it was 15 inches long and S broad. 

 The former was 18 by 12 inches, and was from Key West. 



The " American Museum " referred to is not the present museum 

 of that name. It was a small private museum that was destroyed 

 by fire many years ago. 



The coral described by Edw. and Haime (Hist., ii, p. 83) as A. 

 undata does not seem to me to be the undata of Sol. and Ellis. It 

 was described as very thin and fragile (thickness of frond 2 mm ). 

 The calicles are in series, separated by small, distinct collines, but 

 they have only 10 to 12 septa, and are smaller than those of fragilis^ 

 the diameter being 1.5 mm . It is evidently near the latter and may be 

 only a variety of it with smaller calicles and fewer septa than 

 usual. A. fragilis usually has 15 to 20 septa, sometimes 24. But 

 in the absence of a figure, it is hardly possible to decide this ques- 

 tion, without a reexamination of the t} r pe. 



A. Lamarcki Edw. and Haime (Hist., iii, p. 82) = ^I. undata Lam. , 

 1816, f.non Ellis and Sol., has been placed as a synonym of agari- 

 cites by Vaughan, but according to the original description it agrees 

 pretty closely with fragilis and an data. It was described as grow- 

 ing in a thin (7-8 mm thick), expanded frond, undulated and very 

 finely costellate below, and with broad, low, obtuse, unequal, con- 

 centric collines above. Calicles numerous and close, 2 mm broad, 

 with 16-20 septa, and a large columella; septa pretty thin, close, 

 very finely denticulated. Collines 19 mm apart. 



This description applies very well, in many respects, to some spe- 

 cimen of fragilis, though the thickness of the coral is rather too 

 great. In thie respect and others it seems to be more like the true 

 undata Ellis and Sol., where Lamarck placed it. Vaughan does not 

 say that he saw the types of either of the last two species. Had he 

 studied the types, his opinion of these species would be entitled t<» 

 great weight, in each case. The undata Dana is another speeie>. 



A. Danai (Duch. and Midi.), nan Edw. and Haime, was placed 

 by Gregory under his elephantotus-fragilis group. But by Vaughan 

 (from types) it was put under agarieites. Quelch (op. cit., p. 110) 

 puts it down as a thick variety of .1. fragilis. It forms a thick and 

 solid, largely free frond, adherent at the center, bul the original 



