ALCYONARIANS. — BRIGGS. 89 



Natiirhistorischen Miiseimis Liibeck, 1894, p. 119. 

 Id., Xiitting, Gorgonacea Siboga Exped., vi., Gor- 

 gonellidae, 1910, p. 15. Id., Thomson and Mac- 

 kinnon, Mem. Austr. Miis., iv., 13, 1911, p. 691, pi. 

 Ixxxi. 



Scirpearia jjectinata, Simpson, Proc. R. Irish Academy, 

 xxviii., 1910, p. 319, figs. 36-45. 



The first detailed descriptions of this species are those of 

 Nutting (1910) and Simpson (1910), who gave a compre- 

 hensive review of its structure. The species is represented 

 in the collection by twenty-nine specimens, all of Avhich are 

 preserved in the dry condition. Although showing a moder- 

 ate amount of variation in external form, the colonies may 

 be described as typically lyre-shaj^ed. The descrijDtion and 

 figure of a colony given by Thomson and Mackinnon (1911) 

 portray with exactitude their salient features. The largest 

 specimen is 62cm. in height, with a spread of 31cm. The 

 main stem, which arises from an encrusting base, is 3cm. 

 long and 8mm. in diameter. The main branches into which 

 the stem forks, diverge at an angle of about 45°, and from 

 their upper surface alone give off a series of erect, parallel 

 twigs. The main branches have a basal diameter of 7mm., 

 and the longest is 52cm. in length. Some of the lesser 

 branches are more strongly developed than the rest, and 

 these either give off ascending twigs, or divide in a dichoto- 

 mous manner. The twigs, up to 23cm. in length, have a 

 uniform diameter of about 2-5mm. They are regularly 

 spaced, and average about llmni. apart. 



The coenenchyma is thin, compact and smooth. A 

 distinct median furrow can be made out both on the main 

 branches and on the twigs. Where the coenenchyma is 

 worn away the axis of the colony is seen to be light brown 

 in colour and deepty furroAved. 



The polyps are very numerous, 0-5-lmm. apart, and are 

 retracted into low Avart-like verrucae. Thej^ are scattered 

 all over the surface of the larger branches, but tend towards 

 a more or less bilateral arrangement on the tAvigs. 



The spicules include (1) colourless wart}^ double clubs — 

 •070 X •035mm. ; -066 x •035mm. ; (2) elongated forms ap- 

 proaching double spindles — -087 x •026mm. ; ^070 x •026mm.; 

 and (3) a few crosses — -052 x •052mm. ; ^035 x •035mm. 



The colour of the colonies is creamy-white to yellowish. 



