222 ACTINIA COLLECTED IN TPIE NOKTH SEA 



Voyage XCV. Station 7 Smith's Knoll, L. V. 26 fathoms. 5 specimens. 

 Voyage XCV. Station 20. Knoll Deep. 22 fathoms. 4 siiecimens. 

 Voyage XCV. Station 24. S. edge of the Coal Pit. 13 fathoms. Fairly 



common. 

 Voyage XCVI. Stations 15 and 16. Lat. 54° 30' N. Long. 3° 59' E. 



25 fathoms. Very common. 

 Voyage XCVI. Station 17. Lat. 54° 20' N. Long. 1° 43' E. 24 fathoms. 



Fairly common. 

 Voyage XCA^I. Station 18. Lat. 54° 20' N., near Long. 1° 43' E. 24 

 fathoms. One or two. 



This species usually occurs in colonies upon living and dead Ostrea, 

 frequently clustered about the base of a colony of Alcyonium digitatum 

 (growing on the Ostrca also), their bases overlapping or overlapped by 

 the edge of the colony of A. digitatum, and often with S. viduata. 



The colour as a rule is very variable, particularly as regards the 

 outer cycles of tentacles, the " core " of these, though generally 

 scarlet, may be orange-red, faint orange, or without any difference in 

 colour from the inner cycles. Disk also variable, each colony usually- 

 being fairly uniform as to the colour of the outer tentacles and the 

 number of the "gonidial" radii, one colony of 7 (from 96-15) having 

 one very broad white radius each, and the same occurred in a colony of 

 S. viduata from the same station. 



Those procured in the Coal Pit in from 42 to 47 fathoms, bottom 

 black mud, were identical in colouring (and as bright in colour) as 

 those abundant in rock pool at low tide at East Hartlepool. 



SARGARTIA PALLIDA, var. RUFA (Holdsworth). 



Voyage XCVI. Station 15. Lat. 54° 30' N. Long. 3° 59' E. 25 fathoms. 

 8 or 9 specimens. 



This colony was attached to a valve of Ostrea, together with young 

 Mctridium dianthus, to which, when contracted, they bore a strong 

 superficial resemblance, and where that species is abundant would be 

 easily passed over as the young form of one of the colour varieties. 



Size of largest specimens. — Expanded diameter, 20 mm. Height, 

 15 mm. Length of tentacles of inner cycles, 10 mm. Column smooth 

 and of a uniform dull orange-brown. Base somewhat spreading. 

 Disk dusky white, mouth and throat orange ribbed. Tentacles numer- 

 ous, about 200 in 5 (?) cycles, a double white spot at the base, which is 

 also encircled by bowed bluish black lines ; these lines give the disk a 

 dusky appearance, and show through the body wall when contracted 

 as a broad blackish band. One very young specimen had the column 

 orange in colour and only eight tentacles ; another, somewhat larger, 



