44 Thomson, Sonth Afncan GorgouLJcea. 



a lighter external part, the latter showing a fine thread-like 

 netted structure. 



The colony is slender and slightly flexible, and with a 

 fairly thin coenenchyme. Anastomosis either does not or only 

 rarely occurs. At the apices of the branches the polyps may 

 lie opposite one another, but as a rule further down they are 

 not so disposed. In the basal stem the axis is fairly thick, 

 but in the apical branches it diminishes to a thin filament. 

 The main stem is nearly cylindrical, but the branches are 

 slightly compressed in the plane of expansion. 



The spicules are frequently of an ochre colour. They are 

 after the same types as those figured by Kolliker for Verrucella 

 guadelufensis, but differ in detail. It appears possible to re- 

 cognise three types, but these are not sharply differentiated from 

 another, and it seems possible to pass from one to another. 

 In the cortex one finds {a) double spheres, {h) double spindles, 

 {c) simple spindles, and {d) a few double stars. 



The same types of spicules occur in the polyps, but there 

 is a greater predominance of the simple spindle. The double 

 spheres are from 0.044 ^ 0.027 to 0.085 x 0.044 mm. The 

 simple spindles are from 0.074 x o.oi to 0.129 x 0.027 mm. 

 The double spindles are from 0.071 x 0.030 to 0.102 x 0.391 

 mm. 



My s]>ecimens were slightly dried during transit from 

 South Africa, but apparently without causing much injury. 

 I am convinced that the genus Verrucella is a very variable 

 one, and that the eleven species which ha^'e been described are 

 not all true species : the genus stands in need of revision. 

 My specimens show affinities with T. gitadehipensis, Duch. and 

 Mich., with V. guernei, Studer, with F. granifcra, Koll. and 

 others. From the size of the spicules and other points, I 

 might easily have constituted this a new species; several of the 

 species described by other authors are probably only varieties 

 of y. guadclu-pensis. It is unfortunate that Nutting gives no 

 figures of the spicules of Verrucella bicolor from the Hawaiian 

 Islands. 



Locality, etc. — Pieter Faure, No. 11,352. Tugcla River 

 mouth, N.W. by N., i~N., 24 miles. Depth, 65 to So fathoms. 

 Collected by large dredge. Nature of bottom, hard ground. 

 Date, July nth, 1901. 



Pieter Faure. No. 11,586. Amatikulu River mouth, N.W., 

 f N., 20 miles. By large dredge. Depth, 62 fathoms. Nature 

 of bottom, rocks and sponges (hard ground). Date, January 

 30th, 1 90 1. 



I must in conclusion express my indebtedness to Miss A. 

 Dixon, of Manchester University, who kindly made a number 

 of preparations of spicules. 



