NOTE ON SARCODICTYON. 325 



fall to the ground, and that name must be regarded as a 

 synonym of S. catenata, Forbes. 



In all the other details of structure as seen in working 

 through thin sections I find that the yellow colonies agree 

 with the ordinary red ones — the only difference is in the 

 colour of the spicules. I have been fortunate in coming 

 upon ova in the yellow colonies recently examined — I 

 had failed to find any trace of reproductive organs in the 

 specimens examined in 1883. The ova are of rather large 

 size, 0"09 mm. in diameter, and have a very distinct 

 germinal vesicle and spot. They are enclosed in cellular 

 follicles, about 0*12 mm. in diameter, which hang by long 

 narrow pedicles from the edge of the mesenteries — project- 

 ing into the inter-mesenteric cavities in groups of two 

 three and four together (PL VIII. , fig. 10). I have seen 

 no trace of spermatozoa, so it is very possible that the 

 colonies are unisexual and that I have only examined 

 female colonies. 



In conclusion, I desire to make a few remarks in regard 

 to the genus. Prof. Hickson has recently published a 

 paper* on the genera of the Alcyonaria Stolonifera in 

 which he deals critically with the various genera which 

 have been placed in the family Clavulariidse, and in the 

 course of his analysis of this group he refers {loc. cit. p. 332) 

 briefly to Sarcodictijou and comes to the conclusion that 

 it must be merged in the genus Glavularia. There is no 

 doubt that the three genera Sarcodictyon, Bhizoxenia and 

 Glavularia are, if distinct, very closely related groups, 

 and our British species Sarcodictyon catenata has by some 

 writers been placed in Bhizoxenia and by others in Glavu- 

 laria. It cannot, however, be referred to Bhizoxenia as 

 that genus was characterised by Ehrenberg, its founder, and 



* Trans. Zool. Soc. Loud., vol. XIIL, pt. IX., p. 325, Oct. 1894. 



