MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 37 



The coBnenchyma is composed mainly of smaller, rudely warted and spinii- 

 lated, irregular, more or less fusiform, and often crooked spicules, varying 

 much in size and shape (Fig. 5 a, i-l). Some measured .76 by .14, .57 by .10, 

 .57 by .08, .55 by .10, .44 by .05, .38 by .14, .28 by .14 mm. With these are 

 some that are forked or bilobed (.63 by .24, .52 by .24 mm.), and a few com- 

 pound ones, all roughly warted. 



This species was dredged off Martha's Vineyard by the U. S. Fish Commis- 

 sion, in 1882, in 234 liithoms. A number of specimens have been obtained by 

 the Gloucester fishermen, from the fishing banks off Nova Scotia, and from the 

 Grand Banks, in deep water. The original example was from the Grand 

 Banks, with Primnoa reseda. 



Paramuricea grandis Verrill, sp. nov. 



Plate III. Figs. 3, 3 a, 3 b. 



This is a large, stout, subflabellate species, growing to the height of two feet 

 or more, with the main branches often half an inch or more in diameter. The 

 branches fork several times, diverging widely at the axils, and then ascending, 

 and having a tendency to lie nearly in one plane. 



The branches are much stouter and the calicles more numerous than in 

 P. borealis ; they are usually nearly in contact at their bases, leaving very lit- 

 tle of the ccEuenchyma exposed, and are seldom separated by spaces equal to 

 their diameters. The calicles form prominent verrucse, swollen at the base, 

 and scarcely as high as broad ; the margin is crowned by eight slight, angular 

 denticles, frbm which the small marginal spines scarcely project in alcoholic 

 specimens, and only slightly in dry ones ; the sides of the calicles are nearly 

 smooth except near the margin. 



In alcoholic specimens the whole surface of the calicles and coenenchyma is 

 covered with a nearly smooth soft dark brown skin, concealing the spicula. 

 The polyps are capable of being entirely retracted within the calicles. Many 

 are, however, only partially retracted, and show the circular series of slender 

 bow-shaped spicula around the polyps and the convergent groups of slender 

 curved spicula on the tentacles, as in P. borealis, but they are smaller in this, 

 and not at all spinose. 



The coenenchyma is rather thick, but filled with irregular spicula, many of 

 which are flat and irregularly lobed and branched. The axis is black in the 

 main branches ; soft and yellowish brown in the smaller ones. When dried 

 the coenenchyma is dark brown or nearly black. 



The projecting, flattened, spinose spicules of the calicles (Fig. 3 a, c, d) have 

 rather broader, flatter, and stouter points than those of the preceding ; the point 

 which projects is roughened or rudely spinulated along the edge ; the basal 

 portion is strongly flattened, commonly longer than broad, and usually com- 

 prises considerably more than half the whole length ; it is sometimes oblong, 

 sometimes more or less triangular ; the sides and base are more or less deeply 



