68 



It is perhaps premature to make any general statement 

 concerning the Cape Alcyonarian fauna as a whole, as it is 

 probable that several species new to the district have still to 

 be brought to light, but so far as the collection goes it may be 

 regarded as fairly characteristic of a temperate region border- 

 ing on the tropics. The tropical Indian Ocean forms are 

 represented by such genera as Heteroxenia, Sarcophytum 

 and Cavernularia, while the species Alcyonium antarcticum 

 and possibly the species of Gorgonia have a wider distribution 

 in the Southern Sea. Tropical Alcyonarians are frequently 

 characterised by large spicules, abundance of spicules, or by 

 massive skeletal structures, as exemplified by such genera as 

 Alcyonium (tropical species), Spongodes, Tubipora, Helio- 

 pora, etc., but the Cape Alcyonarians are, if we may judge 

 from this collection, more tieshy and soft, as the genera or 

 species of the temperate regions usually are. 



The excellent state of preservation of the specimens in this 

 collection has afforded me plenty of material for the study of 

 certain anatomical features which are not usually taken into 

 consideration in systematic work, and I have devoted a con- 

 siderable amount of time to the structure of the stomodaeum, 

 mesenterial filaments, canal systems, and the mesogloeal 

 siructures of some of the species, in order to determine with 

 greater certainty the value of the specific characters hitherto 

 used by systematists. As my investigations on these points 

 are not yet completed, however, I have decided to publish 

 the systematic part of "my work with only occasional refer- 

 ences to them ; but I hope before long to have ready for 

 publication a more extensive treatise on Alcyonarian struc- 

 ture, based in large measure on the Cape specimens. I take 

 the opportunity to make this statement because I am anxious 

 that the naturalists at the Cape who have taken so much care 

 and exhibited so much skill in sending the material to 

 England well preserved, should not feel that my interest in it 

 ceases when I have labelled the specimens with names. 

 There is one feature, however, due to the specimens being 

 well presented in spirit that I have incorporated in this paper, 

 as I think it is worthy of consideration in connection with 

 fishery matters. The Alcyonaria, like other Anthozoa, are 

 apparently distasteful to fish. I believe there is no record of 

 any fish that feeds on Alcyonaria, except Pennatulids, 

 either regularly or spasmodically, and in my experience 

 they never show any signs of having been nibbled 

 or bitten by any animal provided with teeth. But with 

 lliis statement the interest in them from the fisherv 



