A. E. Verrill — Bermudian and West Indian Reef Corals. 147 



Therefore it .is natural that there should have been much confusion 

 as to the limits of the species. It is even quite possible that two or 

 more species are included in the above synonymy. Several of the 

 forms referred to differ so much that no one would unite them did 

 not intermediate specimens occur. 



Hence it seems best to treat the following forms as varieties : 



Variety a. — agaricites. Typical. Fig. 7. 



Plate XXVI. Figure 2. Plate XXVII. Figures 7, 7a. 



This usually has the base largely encrusting or attached, at first, 

 but when larger it has more or less erect, crest-like, rounded or 

 irregular, bifacial fronds, rising from the upper surface. Sometimes, 

 in very large examples, these unite and form loculi. The edges of 

 the basal part may be more or less free and unifacial, with the under- 

 side finely costulate. Calicles of medium size, when full grown 

 mostly 2 to 3 mra in diameter, but variable on a single specimen. 

 Septa usually 24 to 36, narrow, crowded, and subequal. Collines 

 usually numerous, more or less developed, mostly transverse, or 

 parallel with the edges of the fronds and crests, and mostly with 

 angular or acute summits, but often reticulate. The valleys are 

 angular, rather deep and narrow ; calicles plainly stellate, mostly in 

 series, but often isolated or in pairs, and then usually pentagonal. 

 Septo-costae are small, numerous, closely crowded, finely and closely 

 granulated, not conspicuously unequal, with veiy narrow spaces 

 between them. Pourtales (Florida Reefs, Corals, pi. xii, figs. 1, _') 

 gives excellent figures of this form. 



It is common from Florida southwards. I have seen several speci- 

 mens over a foot across, with frondose loculi, and folia over six 

 inches high. A large and typical specimen of this variety 12 to 14 

 inches across and 8 to lo high, from near Nassau, N. P. (coll. Whit- 

 field), is in the Ainer. Museum, New York. (Fig. 7, p. 146, No. 5671.) 



Var. b. — Dance E. and II. (non D. and M.); = A. cristata Dana. 



Figs. 5, 6. 



Plate XXVI. Figure 3. Plate XXVII. Figures 5, 6. 



This grows nearly like the preceding, but the coral is thicker and 

 more massive, and the fronds are often very large and thick, usually 

 rounded, with the edges bifacial and acute. The collines are usually 

 strong and acute, often rising into sharp crests, but where the cali- 

 cles are crowded on the basal parts, the collines may be nearly abor- 



