20 Thomson, South African Gorgonacea. 



branches come off from a node. In the upper parts of the colony 

 m which the branches arc thinner, the nodes smaller, and the 

 internodes larger, the branching is nearly in one plane, and 

 from the nodes only one or two branches originate. 



The lowest internode present in my specimen is 5.5 mm. in 

 length and 2.8 mm. m diameter ; a node from the same part is 

 2.5 mm. in length and 2 mm. in diameter. One of the upper 

 internodes is 12 mm. in length and 1.5 mmi in diameter, and a 

 node .5 mm. by .1 mm. 



The polyps are large, usually originating from the inter- 

 nodes, and at wide intervals from one another, but m rare cases 

 they may arise from or very near the nodes. The distance 

 between them varies, it is sometimes 6 to 8 mm. ; there is a 

 slight tendency to their arrangement in a very wide spiral 

 round the central cylindrical axis. The polyps do not origin- 

 ate from the axis at right angles, but m a slightly oblique 

 direction, with their apices projecting upwards ; their size varies 

 according to the degree of extension from i mm. in height and 

 2 mm. in diameter near their bases to 3 mm. in height and 1.8 

 in diameter; in each case they are narrower at their apices. 

 The pinnules of the tentacles can in a few cases be seen, but 

 it is impossible to state their numbers. 



The internodes are ivory white, marked by fine longitudinal 

 lines, and with a thin coenenchyme ; the nodes are horny, yel- 

 low or bronze, with a metallic lustre, and the polyps are white, 

 brownish or pinkish v/hite. The polyps are densely covered 

 with long fusiform spicules, which seem to curve round their 

 bodies, and eight specially large spicules project as points at 

 the bases of the tentacles; the latter are provided with smaller 

 spicules. 



The spicules from all parts seem similar in shape, only 

 differing in size ; they may be grouped into long spindles and 

 short spindles. These spicules have no processes such as have 

 been figured by Wright and Studer for Acanella arbuscula, 

 A. chiliensis, A. rig'ula and .4. simplex. The spicules of my 

 specimen are spine-like, not pointed at either end, and with 

 almost entire margins. The size of the long spindles on the 

 outside of the polyps is about o.g6 x 0.06 mm.; the short 

 spindles from the tentacles and coenenchyme are about 0.24 x 

 0.04 mm. There can be little doubt that the spicules of my 

 specimen and those of A. ebiirnea, as figured by Wright and 

 Studer, are very similar; their margins are, however, more 

 entire. 



Locality, etc. — Pieter Faure, No. 12,850. Buffels River, N. 

 15 miles. Depth, 310 fathoms. Collected by shrimp trawl. 

 Bottom, coral and mud. Date, April 24th, igoi. 



From another locality at about the same depth, I have a 

 second specimen of this species, which confirms my previous 

 identification. In the first specimen I had some doubt about 

 the identity of the spicules, as their margins appeared more 



