208 



axis is thin and soft ; near the base it is brownish, lint in the middle portions 

 it is yellow and iridescent, while in the smaller twigs it is almost white. The 

 coenenchyma is thick, especially in the younger branches, so that the branches 

 are almost uniformly cylindrical, with a diameter of about 15 mm. The ends 

 of the twigs are club-shaped. The verrucix? are densely packed, younger forms 

 ai'ising between the larger and more mature, so that little or none of the actual 

 coenenchyma is visible. They are about 1 mm. in diameter, 0-5 mm. in height, 

 and dome-shaped. They are densely spiculose, the projecting spine of the 

 characteristic Eriiiiiomnncea spicules standing almost vertically, and forming a 

 palisade-like protection to the anthocodia?. The latter are small, white and 

 completely retractile. In the coenenchyma, long, thick, spindle-shaped spicules 

 occur, arranged longitudinally. The following are the chief types of spicules : 

 (1) Long spindles with rugose warts, some of the.se even bearing short warty 

 branches, bifurcate in some cases ; (2) Short, thick spindles with rugose warts ; 

 (3) Spiny, conical needles, from the base of which arise from two to five warty 

 branches ; (4) Rough needles, giving origin to irregular, spiny, almost foliaceous 

 expansions. The spicules are pale red in colour. The colour of the colony is 

 almost brick-red, but the anthocodiie are white. This species belongs to the 

 rough-needled section. 



GENUS ECHINOGORGIA, Ki.lliker. 



In " Icones HistiologiCcC," p. 136, Kolliker thus defines this genus: "From 

 Muricea I set apart a group previously partly Muricea partly Eunicea. They are 

 Primnoacem with a horny axis, small superficial spiny spicules of peculiar form, 

 and with verruca^ but little developed. The spicules of the surface are partly 

 unilateral thorny spindles and unilateral thorny clubs, and in all species peculiar 

 thorny plates (' Stachelplatten '), {)-2S to 0'63 mm. in length and 0-21 to 0'5 mm. in 

 breadth, which probably represent triplet or quadruplet forms. The coenen- 

 chyma when thicker, shows still other forms, e.g., warty spindles and double stars 

 with transitions to double wheels. The poorly develojjed calyces show the same 

 forms as the coenenchyma, and the polyps have simpler warty spindles in the 

 usual order." 



Wright and Studer (" 'Challenger' Keport," vol. xxxi. p. 118) thus emend 

 the original diagnosis : " All upright colonies, for the most part branched in one 

 plane ; branches either free or anastomosing into a network. C'cenenchyma 

 thick not transparent. Polyps small but slightly prominent, pai)illiform, usually 

 in close spirals surrounding the stem. The operculum is for the most ])art 

 feebly developed and is sunk within the margin of the polyp calyx over which it 

 does not project ; it is formed of two or three spicules at the base of the tentacles. 

 The spicules of the coenenchyma and polyps are very numerous : unilateral 



