. 269 



The verrucse are crowded and disposed all round with no apparent order ; 

 they are over 6 mm. in height and curve upwards and inwards close to the 

 branch ; they exhibit an eight-rayed star at the apex. The coenenchyma is 

 moderately thin and presents an even surface. The axis is slender and pale 

 yellow in colour. The spicules agree with those of the type specimen. 



The figure of the spicules of this species given in the " Challenger " Report 

 does not give a true appreciation of their form, and this led Thomson and 

 Henderson to establish the new species ./. mi.niaeea, but an examination of 

 the type specimen in the British Museum shows that the latter species is not 

 distinct. The long spindles of •/. miniacea are unfortunately extrinsic. 



Note OH Genus Jimcelhi. 



The system of classification which at present obtains with regard to the 

 Juucella group of Gorgonellids, including JunccUn. Elluellit., Scirpearia and 

 Scirpearella, is far from satisfactory ; in fact, it is a debatable question whether 

 these should be ranked as separate genera. 



Many of the species which have from time to time been described have 

 undoubtedly been established on young colonies, and in addition to this the 

 characters which are taken as diagnostic, ejj., arrangement and retractility of 

 verructe, vary so much in individual specimens that little or no importance can 

 be attached to them. 



We have, in our possession, a large number of colonies from the Indian 

 Ocean in addition to those in this collection, but at present do not feel justified 

 in referring these to any existing species. At the same time we refrain from 

 multiplying species without some sound basis of cla.ssification. This we hope 

 to supply in a subsecpient study. For this reason we submit a table (at the 

 end of the text) of the various specunens in this collection. 



GENUS VERRUCELLA, Jlihie-E.hvanls. 



Verrucella flexuosa, Kluuzinger. 

 Plate IV. fig. 10. 



This species seems to us to be very variable. In the collection there are 

 a number of specimens in which the spiculation is essentially the same, but the 

 external appearance is so different in the various forms that, on macroscopic 

 examination alone, one would feel almost justified in ranking them as distinct 

 varieties if not species. These differences, which are so pronounced, may, in part, 

 be due to the mode of killing and consequent contraction. Instead, therefore, of 

 adding to the present list of varieties by placing in undue prominence characters 

 of doubtful taxonomic importance, we refer all the specimens to the species 



