NO. 1923. DESCRIPTIONS OF PACIFIC ALCYON ARIA— NUTTING. 95 



fourth order produced. There are many parasitic ophiurans and 

 anemones on the colony. The calyces are usually lateral in position, 

 but there are a few on the front of some of the ultimate twigs. They 

 vary greatly in their relative position and in the distance between 

 them. The distal branches are distinctly flattened; but the axis is 

 round and very slender, the flattened appearance of the branches 

 being due to the thickening of the coenenchyma between the lateral 

 calyces. 



The calyces are in the shape of domes or short tubes according to 

 the state of contraction of tho polyps. Their walls are filled with 

 small spindles and stellate forms, and the region near the margin bears 

 a number of dark red, comparatively heavy, bar-like forms trans- 

 versely placed. These are continued over the bases of the tentacles 

 and the tentacles themselves, being here longitudinal in position and 

 packing the whole dorsal surfaces of the infolded tentacles. 



The coenenchyma contains very numerous terete spindles with 

 regular whorls of tubercles and also double crosses, crosses, and minute 

 stellate forms packed in several layers. 



A cross section of the stem shows a series of well-marked nutrient 

 canals such as are seen in the Plexauridse, to which this genus is closely 

 allied. 



Besides the spicules already described, there are numerous club- 

 shaped forms. 



The specimen is exceedingly friable, and fell to pieces in handling. 

 It had been preserved in formalin, and it is barely possible that this 

 had dissolved the calcareous portion of the axis. 



Color: The colony is dark red. The spicules are red by reflected 

 light, the bar-like forms being darker, almost crimson and yellowish 

 by transmitted light, which may account for the "amber color" of 

 the original description. 



Locality. — The label for this specimen is lost. 



Type-locality.— Banda., East Indies. 



Genus LEPTOGORGIA Milne Edwards and Haime (emended 



by Verrill). 



Colonj^ flabellate and reticulate; branches flattened and grooved 

 by the water-vascular canals; spicules minute double spindles. 



LEPTOGORGIA BERINGI, new species. 



Plate 16, figs. 1, la; plate 21, fig. 5. 



Colony flabellate, much branched, 7.9 cm. high and 7.2 cm. broad, 

 base missing. The stem is 2 mm. in diameter, very slightly flattened. 

 The axis is entirely homy. The stem branches 1.8 cm. from its base 

 into four main branches, three of which are large, subequal and irreg- 

 ularly branched, producing branchings of the fifth order. The fourth 



