46 BULLETIN OF THE 



in extension elongated, narrow in the middle, expanded at the summit, usually- 

 covered except near the summit with a rough, closely adherent coating of 

 sand, foraminifera, etc., but some specimens are nearly naked. In contraction 

 it may become low, broad-conical, sometimes nearly flat. Tentacles nu- 

 merous, longer than the diameter of the disk, rather slender, acute, forming 

 about three to five sub-marginal circles. Column dirty salmon or dull flesh- 

 color ;• tentacles sometimes pale flesh-color, sometimes orange or salmon, 

 frequently dark purplish brown, often with a darker streak on each side of the 

 base in the paler examples ; flake-white patches often occur between the bases, 

 or at the margin, between the outer tentacles ; disk usually darker orange- 

 brown or purplish brown, with pale and dark brown radii. Pink thread-like 

 acontia are emitted abundantly from pores scattered on the column, and from 

 the mouth. The larger examples are often 25 to 35 mm. in diameter, and 

 40 mm. in height. 



This was dredged sparingly by the Blake, at Station 310, in 260 fath- 

 oms, N. Lat. 39° 59' 16", W. Long. 70° 18' 30" ; and at Station 336, in 197 

 fathoms, N. Lat. 38° 21' 50", W. Long. 73° 32'. It was taken abundantly, in 

 many localities, off Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Delaware Bay, on peb- 

 bles, shells, dead Echini, worm-tubes, etc., in 75-640 fathoms, by the U. S. 

 Fish Commission, in 1880, 1881 and 1882. It is usually the most abundant 

 actinian in these depths. The Actinia abijssicola Moseley is probably a differ- 

 ent species. 



Sagartia Acanellae Vekrill, sp. nov. 



Plate VI. Figs. 8, 2 a. 



A small orange-colored species, with numerous long slender tentacles, which, 

 by its base, entirely surrounds and closely clasps the branches of Acanella Nor- 

 mani. In a view from above, the body is usually elongated elliptical, the 

 longer diameter being in the direction of the branch, along which the basal 

 membrane extends considerably beyond the body itself ; the disk is also more 

 or less elliptical and eccentric. In a side view the body is low and usually 

 oblique, the end toward the distal part of the branch sloping more rapidly 

 than the other ; the sides are usually smooth, but sometimes show slight ele- 

 vated ridges or small tubercles ; the integument is more or less swollen, some- 

 what translucent, and shows the internal lamellte as thin white longitudinal 

 lines, with opaque, orange-colored reproductive organs between them, in the 

 lower half. Upper margin nearly equal, even, well defined ; a few small round 

 points, on the sides, appear to be contracted pores (cinclidaj), but no acontia 

 have been seen protruded. The base fits itself lengthwise to the crooks and 

 angles of the branch to which it is attached ; the edges of the basal disk com- 

 pletely unite by a close suture along the opposite side of the branch, and 

 extend, in a tubular form, more or less along the branch, sometimes entirely 

 covering up its tip. Tentacles very numerous and crowded in five, six, or 

 more rows, long and very slender, in extension, often, even in alcoholic speci- 



