42 Thomson, South African (jorgonacea. 



the mam stem is flattened, but in the upper parts it tends to 

 become more and more rounded. The lower primary branches 

 are also flattened, but this flattening rarely occurs among the 

 branches of the upper part of the colony. 



The calyces are prominent on all parts on which polyps 

 occur, and their spicules arc redder and more abundantly dis- 

 posed than on the rest of the surface. The polyps can be 

 retracted almost entirely within the calyces, but in most cases, 

 even when the opening is reduced to a small slit, a little of 

 the tentacles can still be seen within the aperture. In the con- 

 tracted condition the openings of the polyps are grooves, whose 

 long axes are usually parallel to the long axes of the stem or 

 branches on which they are borne. These grooves, when the 

 })olyp IS contracted, are bounded by lip-like swellings. The 

 polyi:)S vary in my specimens in the degree to which they are 

 expanded, in the best cases the tentacles are not completely 

 extended; they are dark yellow, brown, or red in colour. The 

 polyps on the branches are fairly closely approximated to one 

 another, especially near the apices. 



The branches are slightly flexible, the coenenchyme is 

 thin, with a granular appearance, due to the spicules, which 

 are easily seen with a lens lying scattered on its surface. The 

 two specimens differ slightly in colour, one having white and 

 the other red s{>icules. The spicules are large, and there are 

 usually slight spaces between them. 



The dimensions of the specimens are as follows: — The 

 larger colony, 8.5 by 6.5 cm.; horny axis near the base, 1.5 mm. 

 m diameter; the calyx, from 0.5 to 0.75 mm. in diameter; the 

 smaller colony, 6.8 by 5.0 cm. 



The spicules of the coenenchyme are spindles, clubs, and 

 minute irregular spicules. The spicules of the tentacles are 

 long spindles arranged in eight areas, giving the colour to the 

 tentacles. The spicules of the calyces are double spindles, 

 clubs, and small irregular spicules. 



The size of the spicules is as follows: — {a) The spicules 

 of the coenenchyme: spindles, from 0.0756 x 0.045 to o. 11 70 x 

 o.03g6mm. ; clubs, from o.io x 0.0658 to 0.127 x 0.054 mm.; 

 irregular spicules, from O.ogg x 0.081 mm. {b) Spicules of the 

 calyces and polyps : double spindles, from 0.054 x 0.027 to 

 0.126 X 0.03c} mm; clubs, from 0.081 x 0.054 to 0.121 x 0.054 

 mm.; simple spindles of tentacles, from 0.072 x 0.021 to 0.126 

 X 0.027 mm.; small irregular spicules, about 0.054 x 0.0342 

 mm. The type of this genus was described by Verrill under 

 the name Stenogorgia casta. N. Lat., 31° 48' 50". W. Long., 

 7f 51' 50"- i'ive other species have been described, namely, 

 Stenogorgia rosea, by Grieg, from Norway, in 1887; Steno- 

 gorgia mtniata, Studer, from the Azores, in igoi — Syn. Gor- 

 gonia rniniata, Valenciennes, 1855 — Syn. Gorgonia mtniata, 

 Milne-Edwards et Haime, 1857 — Syn. Gorgonia miniata, 

 Pourtales, 1868; this species has also been recorded by Nutting, 



