OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 129 



columella, all armed with long spines which are longer exteriorly. 

 Columella altogether rudimentary, not distinguishable from the 

 contorted ends of the septa. Walls narrow, intimately united, 

 leaving only a distinct deep sinuous groove of equal width. As 

 the coral lum is perfectly hemispherial and lies on a flat base, to 

 the edge of which the calices are continuous, there is scarcely 

 any epitheca to be seen. Underneath, the calices are nearly 

 always in broken sections. Where they are complete the epitheca 

 is thick, in rugose folds, with many round granulations. The 

 calices on the base appear like radiating tubes. Endotheca very 

 abundant and in regular planes, corresponding frequently on 

 opposite sides of the septa, so as to seem almost like continuous 

 floors across the tissue. Diameter of the corallum 360, alt. 180 

 length of valleys 20 to 85, lat. of crests of walls 5, lat. of calices 

 10 to 15 millim. 



Plate 9, fig. 1, corallum seen from above much reduced in size ; 

 fig. 2, two valleys, nat. size ; fig. 3, side view of calice from base, 

 showing epitheca and endotheca ; fig. 4, side view of corallum 

 much reduced. 



This coral differs from any described in being hemispherical. 

 It is nearest in the character of its valleys to S. sinuosa, Dana. 

 The calices are large, wide, and deep, but perhaps not so large 

 as in the species just named. Darnley Island. The specimen from 

 which the drawings were made is in the Macleayan Museum. 

 Messrs. Quoy and Gaimard who describe ^S'. sinuosa {Meandrina 

 to them) say that it is almost flat. They quote Ellis for the fig. 

 as p. 60, which should be p. 160, pi. 48. To Ellis it was a Mad- 

 repore. The figure is not good, but an attempt is made to express 

 the mural valley by a white line. His diagnosis is Madrepora 

 conglomerata ; anf. palulis Jlexuosis, brevibus, dissipimentis incequa- 

 libus, exesis, ambulacns subdupUcatisj lamellis denticulatis. Hab. 

 in Oceano Indim occidentalis (J . Grey). Varietas anf. anplioribus 

 et toto coralUo grossiore, 



MussA SOLIDA, N. s. Plate 11, figs 6, 7, 8. Vel var. 

 Corallum but little elevated, in very long series, which do not 

 show sinuations for the calices but very deep lobes ; sometimes 



