38 Thomson, SontJi African iiorgonacea. 



Eiigorgia Gilchristi, Hickson. 



At first I thought that these specimens belonged to the 

 genus Euplexaura, but the absence of canals round the axis led 

 me to revise my first identification. 



The specimens are yellow or orange red, they are branched 

 in one j)lane, and are fairly fl-exiblc. A main stem, arising 

 from a slightly expanded base, after a short upward course 

 divides into two, and these in their turn give rise to branches, 

 and the latter to branchlets. The branches are not straight, 

 but irregularly curved or twisted, they would- be cylindrical 

 except that the polyps originate on all sides, and give them 

 a papillated appearance. 



The axis is dark brown near the base, and covered by a 

 thin coenenchyme, higher up it is light brown or yellow, and 

 covered by a thicker coenenchyme. 



The specimens vary in appearance at different parts, owing 

 to the degree to which the polyps are contracted ; at some parts 

 the branches appear papillated, owing to well developed 

 calyces showing on all sides, with minute longitudinal slits at 

 their apices, at other parts the surface of the coenenchyme 

 appears much more uniform, owing to the calyces being more 

 depressed, and in some such cases deep red blotches of colour 

 'may be seen, which are due to the red spicules of the tentacles. 

 The polyps or calyces are crowded over the entire surface of 

 the coenenchyme of the branches, and there is some indica- 

 tion of a spiral arrangement, which is, however, of too close a 

 nature to trace out. 



The coenenchyme is finely granular, and has apparently 

 no lines or grooves on its external surface, but the calyces are 

 so closely approximated that there is little free intervening 

 space. 



The branches expand at their apices sometimes to quite a 

 considerable extent, they do not end in a pointed manner, but 

 are blunt or rounded. As previously stated, the calyces vary 

 in size, according to the degree of contraction from minute 

 almost imperceptible elevations to fairly prominent mound-like 

 swellings; in the first case, their openings with the tentacles 

 are about i/20th of a millimetre in diameter, in the second 

 case their diameter is about 2 mm., and their height from \ to 

 1 mm. 



The larger specimen was about 8 cm. in height and 6.2 cm. 

 in the plane of expansion. The diameter of a branch, includ- 

 ing the calyces, near the centre of the specimen is about 2 mm. 

 The horny axis is flexible, and its centre is of a different 

 colour from the periphery. The axis of the main stem is i '20th 

 of a millimetre m diameter, the axes of the terminal branches 

 are thin and thread-like, and have a comparatively thick 

 coenenchyme covering them. The second specimen is smaller, 

 and pure yellow in colour, it is approximately 6 cm. in height. 



