276 



of the calicle. It is evidently as successful a collector of Crus- 

 tacea as its numerous kindred ; for, still wedged in the visceral 

 cavity of one individual, was found part of a small crab. 



The specimens were got by Mr. J. P. Couthouy, from the 

 wreck of the San Pedro, sunk, in 1814, in the bay of Cumana, on 

 the northeast coast of South America, and were presented by him 

 to Dr. A. A. Gould. Dr. Gould, after whom I have named the 

 species, kindly put them all at my disposal to be described. 



Prof. Dana briefly notices three species of Caryophyllia, of 

 which he says : " The following species have been observed only 

 in the simple state, and may or may not be budding species." 

 Dana, Zooph. p. 383. The first of these, C. solitaria, has been 

 described by Lesueur, (Journal Acad. Nat. Scien. Philad. vol. 1, 

 p. 179,) and is also spoken of by Lamarck. It comes very near 

 to the present species, but differs as follows : it has fifteen to 

 sixteen larger lamella?, alternating with smaller, while this species 

 has, at the most, ten or twelve that can in any way be called 

 larger. G. solitaria has the margin of the calicle nearly entire, 

 while S. Gouldii has it rough with heads of lamella. Lesueur's 

 figure represents the coi-allum partially buried in, or surrounded 

 by, the substance to which it is attached, a mode of life quite 

 different from the encrusting habit of the present coral. The 

 second species, G. pocillum (Dana), is much broader than high, 

 a proportion not met with in over 150 calicles, young and old, 

 of aS'. Gouldii which I have examined ; and in which it is rare to 

 find the breadth as great as the height. The species now under 

 consideration has only six lamellas decidedly prominent ; while 

 the other has " twelve larger, very broad and exsert," and " three 

 intermediate, smaller and one half narrower ; an arrangement 

 not found at all in the subject of this paper. The third, G. dila- 

 tata (Dana), differs so strongly that no comparison is required. 

 All three of these have the outward sti'iae stretching only part 

 way down the wall, while, in almost all the specimens of S. 

 Gouldii the striae reach quite to the bottom of the calicle. The 

 most important distinction of all, however, is, that G. solitaria, 

 pocillum, and dilatata, have only been seen solitary, while this 

 species has invariably a grouping habit ; nor do I think a calicle 

 could be broken off in such a way as to give the idea that it had 

 grown single. Prof. Dana has been at the trouble of examining 



