NO. 1923. DESCRIPTIONS OF PACIFIC ALCYONARIA— NUTTING. 15 



tures of the colony from which they spring, bearing whorls of branch- 

 lets which again divide once or twice before the final bundles are 

 reached. Other (younger) branches are very simple, in some cases 

 bearing but one bundle of polyps. There are from three to eight or 

 more polyps in the bundle. 



The polyp and pedicel together measure 2.6 mm. in height, on the 

 average. The diameter of the polyp head is about 1.2 mm. The 

 calyx margin is surrounded by a crown of points, some of which 

 project as much as 1.5 mm. beyond the margin. Their number is 

 variable, but eight is quite common. Often two or three of these 

 are the projecting points of spicules in the " Stutzbundeln." Another 

 set of smaller spindles are longitudinally placed on the dorsal sur- 

 faces of the infolded tentacles. 



Spicules: These are all spindles of various sizes, except stellate 

 forms found in the stem. The largest spindles are on the under 

 surfaces of the twigs, where they sometimes attain a length of 5 mm. 

 These large spindles are quite smooth under a low power, but show 

 a surface closely set with sharp thorny points under a higher power. 

 The stem walls contain sparsely scattered small spicules, cruciform, 

 or irregularly stellate. 



Color: The main stem, branches, and branchlets are pallid or whit- 

 ish, the polyp heads are brownish-red. 



Localities. — Station 4879; Oki Shima, S. 70° W., 7.5 miles; 59 

 fathoms. Station 4893; Ose Saki Light, N. 29° E., 5.5 miles; 106-95 

 fathoms. Station 4935; Sata Misaki Light, N. 58° E., 4.5 miles; 103 

 fathoms. Station 4936; Sata Misaki Light, N. 21° E., 5.7 miles; 103 

 fathoms. 



DENDRONEPHTHYA ACAULIS Kiikenthal. 

 Dendronephthya acaulis Kukenthal, Japanische Alcyonaceen, 1906, p. 40. 



The single specimen agrees well with the description and figures 

 given by Kukenthal. I do not find, however, any of the small 

 branched spicules illustrated in fig. 30, I. c. Some of the long red 

 spindles from the ccenenchyma of the branches attain a length of 

 over 4 mm. 



Locality.— ^isition 5071; Ose Saki, S. 53.5° W., 2.6 miles; ^7 

 fathoms. 



General distribution. — Uragakanal, Japan, 150 meters. (Type- 

 locality.) 



Another fragmentary specimen from station 4879, near Oki Sliima, 

 59 fathoms, is referred with doubt to this species. The crown of 

 thorns is much more conspicuous than in the type described by 

 Kukenthal, and the color is a bright red. 



