Manchester Memoirs, \ol. Ixi. (igi6), No. I. 23 



ally come off on two sides- of the mam stem or of the primary- 

 branches. The branchlets are cylmdrical. The maui stem 

 and chief branches ascend in an undulating way. The branches 

 commence to come off at 6 nmi. from the base. The branchlets 

 often arise at right angles. Short unbranched twigs arise from 

 \ arious parts, these are generally expanded at the end. The ter- 

 minal twigs are blunt at the apices, and have two or more 

 ix)lyps at the extreme summits. 



The length of the main stem is at least 12.5 cm., the diame- 

 ter at the base 2.5 cm., the length of a terminal twig 18 mm., its 

 diameter 1-1.5 mm. 



The polyps on the smaller branches and twigs are more 

 thickly distributed on two sides, although they also occur to 

 some extent on the other; still, one can distinguish a central 

 area on which the polyps are less abundant — on the terminal 

 tuigs they are almost entirely bi-lateral. The polyps are 

 usually ])laced at right angles to the surface, the larger are 

 i.Smm. in height and I mm. in diameter. At the base of the 

 polyps on the surface of the coenenchyme there are long 

 spindles, easily seen with a lens; these are specially prominent 

 on the upper branches and twigs, but apparently do not occur 

 to any extent at the bases of the mam stem and branches. 

 The polyps consist of a minute calyx and a tentacular part, the 

 former is hardly distinguishable from the superficial coenen- 

 chyme. 



The arrangement of the spicules of the polyps consists of 

 spindles arranged '' en chevron " in eight longitudinal areas, 

 beneath which spindles are arranged m a circular manner, and 

 basally much larger and broader spindles are arranged in a 

 vertical or oblique manner. 



The axis is 3 mm. near the base of the main stem, and 

 i/ioth of a millimetre m diameter m the apical branches; it 

 is black near the base, brown towards the centre, and yellow at 

 the apex of the colony. 



The spicules of the polyps (including anthocodia and 

 calyx) are small narrow spindles and larger broader spindles, 

 the former range in size from 0. 144 x 0.018 to 0.414 x 

 0.054 mm.; the latter from 0.360 x 0.090 to 0.630 x 0.108 mm., 

 both of these types of spicules may be straight or curved. 



The spicules from the coenenchyme of a main branch are 

 also small and large spindles, straight or curved, the former 

 ranging in size from 0.18 x 0.018 to 0.360 x 0.036 mm., the 

 latter from 0.396 x 0.090 to 0.774 ^ 0.144 mm. The spicules 

 from the superficial coenenchyme of the upper and smaller 

 branches are similar to the last in shaj:>e, some of the larger 

 spindles are as much as 1.080 x 0.162 mm. I have no hesitation 

 in naming these specimens Muricella ramosa, Syn. M. 

 ceylonensis. This species has been recorded from the Andaman 

 Sea, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Manaar. off Galle and onwards u[) 

 the West Coast of Cevlon. 



