MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 19' 



slender ones. The calcareous joints are rather strongly sulcated, especially 

 toward the base, and have a rather large central cavity. The base is divided 

 into root-like, irregular, flattened, crooked anchoring-lobes, much as in Acanella 

 Normani and many other forms which inhabit soft muddy bottoms in deep 

 water. 



The spicula of the calicles are of several forms and of very diverse sizes. 

 The largest (Fig. 1 b', d, e) are long, often a little bent, rather slender spines, 

 slightly thicker near the middle, with the inner end flattened and obtuse, 

 and tlie outer end acute and nearly smooth toward the tip ; elsewhere the sur- 

 face is covered with minute conical spinules, which are arranged in divergent, 

 longitudinal rows, more conspicuous near the iimer or obtuse end (Fig. 1 b). 

 These large spicula vary much in size. Some of them measured 5.50 by .13, 

 5.10 by .25, 4.25 by .11, 3.75 by 10, 3.42 by .13, 3.25 by .15 mm. 



With these are others, of smaller size and usually 'more slender, which are 

 flattened, obtuse, and spinulated at both ends, or throughout; some of these 

 are broader at the ends than in the middle, while others are of nearly uniform 

 breadth; they are straight, or but little bent; and some are very slender; they 

 vary greatly in size. Some of these measured 3.68 by .10, 2.00 by .06, 

 1.75 by .075, l.IO by .08 mm. A few are slender and pointed at both ends; 

 one of these was 2.50 by .05 mm. 



There are also, from the polyps, some smaller, minutely spinulated, fusiform 

 fepicula (Fig. 1 b, /), acute at both ends (perhaps from the tentacles); and still 

 smaller flattened, oblong spicula, obtuse and often enlarged at both ends, and 

 longitudinally striated (Fig. 1 b, g, h, i). The latter come from the tentacles. 

 The coonenchyma is tilled with small, oblong, flattened spicula (Fig. 1 c), which 

 are often narrower in the middle than near the ends, which are obtusely 

 rounded; the surface is finely striated or grooved and roughened longitudinally. 

 Some of these me;>6ured .16 by .004, .16 by .003, .13 by .004, .13 by .003 mm. 

 Around the calicles, and occasionally elsewhere, long, spiniform spicula, like 

 the medium-sized ones of the calicles, are mixed with those characteristic of 

 the coenenchyma. 



The following specimens were dredged by the Blake, 1878-80. 



Station. Fathoms. Locality. Specimens. 



1878-79. 



161 583 Off Guadeloupe 1 broken. 



1880. 



308 1242 N. Lat. 41° 24' 45", W. Long. 65° 35' 30" 1 



339 603 " 34° 39' 40", " 75° 14' 40" 1 





Lepidisis longiflora Verrill, sp. nov. 



Plate IV. Figs. 4, 4 a. 



A large and stout species, sparingly and distantly branched, the branches 

 irising from the horny joints singly, or two at a time, and in that case usually 

 opposite; the branches are ascending, usually straight or a little curved. The 



