112 



frontal surface, and with a calcified, rugged ectoooecium. On each side of the 

 oa'ciuin is a small ohli([uely placed si)ine. 



1 have been able to examine a colony ol' Ibis species from Port Phillip, Vic- 

 toria (Miss Jelly). 



To the genus Hinniopora, which Mac Gillivi-ay lias founded on "CrihrUhui' 

 fero.v, I must, besides Ibis sj)ccies, also refer Mcnibvdnipord rddicifent as well as 

 the form which Kirk])a trick has described under Ibe name M. nuiicifcra, v. 

 intermedia, and which he considers as an intermediate form between //. /c/o.r 

 and H. radicifera. I agree willi Ibis writer as to tiie necessily of referring all three 

 forms to the same genus; bul whilst he refers them to Meinbranijmrd, I must, partly 

 on account of their points of agreement with lieania, partly because of the free 

 ott'cia, refer them to the family liicellariidae, and although they must come close 

 to Beanid, they camiot for several leasons be included under this genus. Some 

 of these reasons are: the strong calcification, llu- |)resence of oa-cia, wbicb however 

 have hitherto only been found in H. radicifera, and finally the ])resence of the 

 sessile avicularia (in conlrasl to the pedicellate inovai)le ones in Ileania). Lastly 

 this avicularium is in all three species furnished with a spine, wliich in each 

 attains an extremely variable development, and in //. fero.v coxers (be greater 

 part of the frontal surface with its branches, and Ibis is the reason why this 

 species was formerly referred to the genus Cribrilina. In //. radicifera it is rallier 

 small undivided, conical, whilst it is much larger and richly branched in //. 

 intermedia, but in contrast to the spine in //. ferax it projects fieely bere. Of 

 H. ferox besides Kirkpalrick's original specimens I have been able to examine 

 two others, namely one from Port Phillip (Miss Jelly) and another from Port 

 Phillip Heads (Mr. J. Gabriel); they show all dilferences in tbe shape and 

 development of the aviculaiian s])ine, so that the species seems to undergo great 

 variation. It may be possible to set up several dilferent species. All three species 

 agree however in that tbis hollow aviculaiian spine wbicb may in realilv be 

 looked upon as a hollow, branched continuation of tbe avicularian cband)er, is 

 not, as Kirkpatrick seems to believe, connected with the opposite margin of 

 the respective zocKcinm, but nuiinly witli parts of the surrounding zott'cia, |)ailly 

 with their distal spine or distal margin, |)arlly with their avicularia or with the 

 branched prolongations of these. The tip of the avicularian .spine is however 

 often fused togelbei- witb a small branched spine, which ari.ses from the distal 

 half of tbe opposite margin of tbe zoo'cium. 



Mac (iillivray', who originally i-el'erred tbe genus liiaiihiiinrii to IJic I'amilv 



' 75, i).,4«r 



rot 



