NOTE ON SAKCODICTYON. 323 



Three years later, in 1886, I added* some further 

 details in regard to Sarcodictyon catenata in the living- 

 condition from colonies dredged off Port Erin, in the Isle 

 of Man, and which I had been able to keep alive for some 

 time. In that paper I figm^ed the polypes in the fully 

 expanded condition, showing that the polype may extend 

 to three times its usual height {i.e., to 5 or 6 mm.), the 

 translucent white upper expanded part of the body being 

 about twice the length of the lower opaque red-coloured 

 part. The figures (loc. cit. pi. iii.) showed a colony of 

 thirteen polypes fully expanded, natural size, and one 

 expanded polype, magnified, like the one now reproduced 

 here (PI. VIIL, fig. 3). 



Since that date we have frequently, during the 

 L.M. B.C. expeditions, dredged colonies of the red 

 Sarcodictyon catenata off the south and west of the Isle 

 of Man, at depths of from 10 to 40 fathoms, and generally 

 attached to shells or to stones. Last summer (1894) in a 

 haul of the dredge taken at 2 miles off the north side of 

 the Calf Island on August 25th, depth 22 fathoms, bottom 

 sand and shells, I was fortunate enough to obtain several 

 colonies of yellowish tints, which I think are quite 

 sufficient to show conclusively that Forbes' Sarcodictyon 

 agglomerata is the same species as S. catenata. I had 

 previously shown that there were red colonies in the 

 agglomerated condition, and yellow colonies with the 

 polypes in single file. Now I have yellow colonies of 

 several tints in the agglomerated state, and one of these, 

 in its " ochraceous yellow " colour and in the grouping of 

 polypes in threes and fives, exactly corresponds with 

 Forbes' original description (see PI. VIIL, fig. 1). 



On cutting sections of some of these yellow colonies I 

 find that they have not all colourless spicules only, as I 



* Fauna of Liverpool Bay, vol, i. p. 120. 



