2 HiCKSON, Nc7v Odoradiatc Coral, Pyrophyllia inJJata. 



metasepta, and a laminate columella. It is important to 

 note, that at present I have found no specimen showing 

 either more or less than sixteen septa, and in every case 

 the eight protosepta are well defined in size and position 

 from the eight metasepta. 



The septa and the columella have a regular undulating 

 course, they are not straight rigid calcareous laminae as 

 they usually are in other corals. It is for this reason — 

 the calyx having a fanciful resemblance to a cauldron 

 from which regular undulating flames arise — that I have 

 suggested the name Pj'rop/iyilia for the genus. Unfortu- 

 nately, although this is a recent coral, we have no specimens 

 preserved in spirit to enable us to study the structure of 

 the soft parts ; but the evidence afforded by the shell 

 suggests very forcibly that the bulk of the living tissues 

 were confined to the upper part of the corallum to a depth 

 of about I to 2 mm. from the margin of the calyx. As 

 the inflated base is so frequently unbroken it is possible 

 that some strands of living tissue extended throughout the 

 whole length, but of this there is no definite evidence. On 

 examining the coral from above with a dissecting micro- 

 scope and adjusting the focus on a plane just below the 

 margin, the eight protosepta and the columella can be 

 seen, and on focussing down a little further the eight 

 metasepta come into view. [Fig: i). At this level all the 

 protosepta are exactly equivalent and the metasepta are 

 also equivalent ; there is no one septum nor single pair of 

 septa that are more or less pronounced than others of 

 the same series. In other words if it were not for the 

 columella, which is definitely laminate or flattened, the 

 coral would be perfectly radially symmetrical. On 

 adjusting the focus to a still lower level, one or more 

 of the protosepta may be seen to be fused to the 

 columella, and sections of the lower part of the coral- 



