FAUNA OF THE OUTER WESTERN AREA OF THE CHANNEL. 331 



Plumularia similis, Hincks. 



A small colony at Position 56 ; several on Serhdaria ahictina at 60 ; 

 and on Macropodia at 64. 



Depth, 49-50 fath. 



Plumularia pinnata. 



At Positions 1, 3, 4, 7, 35, 43, 44, 45, 49, 51, 64, vii. 

 Depth, 40-53 fath. 



On Diphasic'., Macropodia, Pisa, Cellaria, etc. Gonangia were borne 

 on colonies from Positions 3 and 4. 



Plumularia setacea (Ellis). 



At Positions 3, 36, 62, vii. 



Depth, 40-50 fath. or over. 



Colonies from all four positions bore gonophores. 



At Position 62, and the doubtful position in Cruise VII, several 

 colonies were obtained, growing on the creeping form of Plumularia 

 catliarina, and all of very slender growth and small size. In 

 the largest group, at vii, not exceeding 15 mm. in height, two of the 

 colonies bore numerous gonangia, and the greater number of the 

 pinnae were monothecate. At 62 another group of four colonies 

 occurred, of very minute size, not exceeding 3 mm. in height, and with 

 all the pinnae monothecate. One of these bore a single gonangium. 

 Nutting (59) refers to a minute form olDtained by the Albatross from 

 floating drift weed, which may be comparable with this. He treats it 

 as an aberrant form of setacea, but suspects that the gonosome if 

 present would prove it to be a distinct species. In regard to the 

 specimens here considered, there can be no doubt that they all 

 belong to setacea, while the entirely monothecate form at 62 is 

 connected with the ordinary type by the intermediate, partly mono- 

 thecate, form at vii. 



Polyplumaria flabellata, Sars. 



One small colony of 20 mm. in height was obtained at Position 56, 

 and one large well-grown colony at Position 80. 



Depth, 49-51 fath. 



The species has not previously been recorded from British waters. 



Distribution: Stavanger, Norway, 50-100 fath. (Sars, 62); Bay of 

 Biscay, 134-300 m., and Azores, 130-318 m. {Hirondelle, Pictet et Bedot, 

 61) ; Bay of Biscay, 411 m., and Azores, 128 m. {Travailleur et Talisman, 

 Billard, 48). Pictet and Bedot (48) regard the Diplopteron insigne of 

 Allman (45), obtained off the south-west coast of Spain in 364 fath., 



