32 BULLETIN OF THE 



The specimens of this species brought from the fishing banks off Nova Scotia 

 and Newfoundland by the Gloucester fishermen vary considerably in the 

 mode of branching. The largest specimen from the Grand Banks is eigliteen 

 inches high and twelve broad. It has a rudely fan-shaped form, the branches 

 being nearly in one plane, but the terminal branchlets are very unequal in 

 length, crooked and tlexible ; they are so numerous and so irregular in their 

 origin and direction as to produce a bushy appearance. Five large main 

 branches arise near together, close to the base ; these are 5 to 8 mm. in diam- 

 eter ; some of them fork again, beyond the middle ; the divisions that they 

 give off are large and small, strongly divergent or divaricate lateral branches or 

 pinnae, which divide and subdivide in the same way ; besides these there are 

 many small, irregular, crooked and slender branchlets, 25 to 50 mm. (1 to 2 

 inches) in length, which are mostly unbranched, but bear long, slender, divari- 

 cate calicles, less close than those of the branches. Calicles also spring directly 

 from the main branches, and still more numerously from the secondary ones, 

 and on all sides of them. 



In a smaller specimen, from lot 804, there are nine large branches and three 

 smaller ones springing from the base. 



In a small specimen, from lot 791, there are two primary branches from the 

 base. In this the calicles are short and hardly pedunculate, except in certain 

 parts, where they are somewhat so. 



In one from lot 866, the branches and calicles are unusually slender. 



In a specimen from lot 808, there is but a single main stem, and the branch- 

 ing is more irregular and bush-like. In this the calicles are shorter, thicker, 

 scarcely pedunculated, and rather closely crowded on the terminal branchlets, 

 while on other branches they are nearly as long as on the ordinary or more 

 typical specimens. (Plate III. Figs. 1-1 b.) 



In another example, from lot 364, the main stem divides once near the 

 base, and the coral is shrub-like, not branching in a plane ; the branches are 

 slender, widely divergent, crooked. The calicles are scattered, slender and 

 pedicelled. 



In life, the color is bright salmon ; when dried, it is usually ash-gray ; in 

 alcohol, dark gray or ash-brown. 



The larger spicula of the calicles (Fig. 2 b, c, d, e) are varied in form and size, 

 mostlj'^ long) rather slender, some straight, others crooked, often bent abruptly 

 in the middle, or toward one end ; they are strongly spinulated, except near the 

 outer end, which is usually slender and very sharp ; the inner end is stouter, 

 more or less blunt, sometimes irregularly slightly bilobed, and usually sharply 

 spinulated, but not branched. Some of them are strongly spinulated through- 

 out ; others, for le.ss than half their length (Fig. 2 b, c) ; these are usually angu- 

 larly bent near the middle ; the blunt and spinulated end is imbedded, and the 

 smoother, sharper, and acute end projects from the surface, near the summit of 

 the calicle. Some of the largest of these measured 1.62 by .10, 1.05 by .10, 

 1.00 by .07 mm. ; the straight ones, 1.52 by .10, 1.32 by .06, .99 by .10 mm. 

 With tliese were smaller, more or les.s crocjked, slender, fusifurm spicula, 



