THE ALCYONARIA OF THE MALDIVES. 523 



ramify dichotomously. The primary branches are 10 — 22 mm. high and 10 — 17 x 7 — 8 mm. 

 broad. In spirit the specimen is of a dull brownish-grey colour. The specimen is firmer 

 in consistency and less fleshy than Sc. capitals, but not so hard and brittle as Sc. densum, 

 Sc. durum, Sc. querciforme, etc. 



The spicules are very numerous, clubs are closely packed near the surface, and most 

 of the tuberculate spicules are very densely set with warts (fig. 24). The clubs have slender 

 handles, but vary considerably in shape and size. They may have from one to four tuber- 

 culate heads. They are '1 — '33 mm. in length and ■02— '12 mm. in diameter through the 

 head. Very slender clubs and spindles are present in the tentacles. In a partially retracted 

 condition of the autozooid, they form an outer protecting conical wall to the soft fleshy 

 tissues of the autozooid. The tuberculate spicules show great diversity in form and size 

 (fig. 24 a, b, c, d), they are I'l — -4 mm. in length and '18 — 1 mm. in breadth. Forked, curved, 

 and branched spicules are present similar to those of Sc. capitale (fig. 16). Irregular spindles 

 constricted in the middle (fig. 24 d) also occur, but they are not common. Some of the 

 spindles have few warts with very small tubercles, so that they seem to be beset with 

 small spines. 



The autozooids are very regularly arranged over the whole of the capitular surface, 

 and are 1 — 15 mm. apart. Many of them are expanded, measuring about '8 mm. across the 

 crown. The tentacles are short, broad, and bluntly conical, there are indications of a double 

 row of small pinnules down each side. Spicules in the form of slender clubs and spindles 

 are regularly an-anged on the outer walls. The stomodaeum is long and convoluted, and the 

 siphonoglyph is strongly marked. The mesenteries are larger and stouter structures than in 

 many species of the genus. The ventral and lateral mesenterial filaments are longer and 

 broader than in Sc. densum and Sc. durum. The dorsal mesenterial filaments are similar 

 to those of other species. Keproductive cells were not observed in the specimen. 



Siphonozooids (fig. 2.5). The siphonozooids are very rudimentary, and are so minute 

 that they cannot be distinguished without the aid of a microscope. Their average length 

 is '1 mm. and breadth '045 mm. If a thin strip of tissue be carefully removed from the 

 surface of the colony and stained with borax-carmine, the siphonozooids are seen to occupy 

 more or less hexagonal or rounded areas, and are separated from each other by a spicular 

 tissue containing minute clubs and slender spindles as in Sc. capitale (fig. 17). The siphono- 

 zooids appear to be devoid of spicules, but with high powers there may be seen a few 

 extremely minute ones imbedded in the ectoderm cells. The rudimentary stomodaeum with 

 its aperture to the exterior (fig. 25) is seen in surface view to be keyhole-shaped, in a few 

 cases rounded, but sometimes the aperture cannot be distinguished even in sections. Traces 

 of mesenteries are to be found in some of the siphonozooids. 



Canal Systems. As in other species, the transverse superficial canal system is well- 

 marked, the average diameter of the large transverse vessels being -07 mm. If allowance be 

 made for the great amount of space taken up by the numerous tuberculate spicules the 

 internal canal system may also be said to be well-marked. The average diameter of the 

 longitudinal canals near the surface is '04 mm. near the base of the colony, the canals are 

 broader and have an average diameter of "07 mm. 



ZoocMorellae are numerous in that portion of the endoderm of the canals which lies 

 nearest to the surface of the colony. They are not numerous in the lumen of the canals. 



67—2 



