﻿344 
  COLLECTIONS 
  rROM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  H(ih. 
  Warrior 
  Eeef 
  and 
  Prince 
  of 
  Walos 
  Channel, 
  Torres 
  Straits 
  ; 
  

   in 
  the 
  latter 
  case 
  from 
  7 
  to 
  9 
  fms., 
  bottom 
  sand 
  (actually 
  attached 
  

   to 
  a 
  stone). 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  beautiful 
  and 
  attractive 
  species, 
  the 
  mode 
  of 
  

   branching 
  and 
  the 
  proportions 
  of 
  the 
  branches 
  being 
  graceful 
  

   and 
  the 
  colours 
  very 
  vivid. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  three 
  dry 
  specimens 
  obtained 
  (i.) 
  deep 
  yellow, 
  is 
  550 
  millim. 
  

   (22 
  inches) 
  high 
  by 
  325 
  millim. 
  (13 
  inches) 
  in 
  extreme 
  diameter 
  ; 
  

   (ii.) 
  lemon-yellow 
  specimen, 
  475 
  by 
  275 
  millim. 
  (19 
  by 
  11 
  inches) 
  ; 
  

   (iii.) 
  reddish 
  specimen, 
  475 
  by 
  387 
  millim. 
  (19 
  by 
  \^\ 
  inches). 
  A 
  

   young 
  specimen 
  preserved 
  in 
  spirit 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  colour 
  as 
  (i.), 
  and 
  

   measuring 
  145 
  millim. 
  high 
  by 
  30 
  millim. 
  maximum 
  lateral 
  ex- 
  

   panse, 
  is 
  distinguished 
  by 
  slenderer 
  habit. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  doul)le-headed 
  spicules 
  which 
  Verrill 
  has 
  found 
  in 
  many 
  

   Leptor/orgice 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  none 
  here, 
  though 
  sometimes 
  almost 
  de- 
  

   ceived 
  by 
  pieces 
  of 
  broken 
  fusiform 
  spicules, 
  consisting 
  of 
  a 
  smooth 
  

   median 
  portion 
  and 
  a 
  whorl 
  of 
  tubercles 
  left 
  at 
  each 
  end 
  of 
  it. 
  I 
  

   have 
  no 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  specific 
  identity 
  of 
  the 
  above 
  specimens. 
  

   In 
  the 
  main 
  external 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  corallum, 
  and 
  the 
  forms 
  and 
  

   proportions 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  kinds 
  of 
  spicules, 
  they 
  agree 
  substan- 
  

   tially 
  with 
  one 
  another, 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  few 
  differences 
  by 
  

   which 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  possible 
  to 
  distinguish 
  the 
  two 
  varieties 
  ; 
  

   the 
  colour 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  serious 
  difficulty 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  uniting 
  these 
  

   two 
  varieties, 
  and 
  is 
  shown 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  specific 
  importance 
  in 
  this 
  

   case 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  red 
  spicules 
  do 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  cortex 
  of 
  both 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  the 
  yellow 
  variety, 
  and 
  that 
  in 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  

   branches 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  form 
  there 
  are 
  almost, 
  if 
  not 
  quite, 
  as 
  many 
  

   yellow 
  as 
  there 
  are 
  red 
  spicules, 
  some 
  individual 
  spicules 
  being 
  

   transitional 
  in 
  colour. 
  

  

  In 
  its 
  manner 
  of 
  branching 
  the 
  species 
  belongs 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   less 
  common 
  types 
  of 
  this 
  large 
  genus. 
  Of 
  other 
  Australian 
  species 
  

   L. 
  divergens, 
  Studor 
  (MB. 
  Ak. 
  Berlin, 
  1878, 
  p. 
  655, 
  pi. 
  iv. 
  fig. 
  21), 
  

   from 
  N.W. 
  Australia, 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  different 
  form, 
  if 
  it 
  be 
  a 
  Leptogorgia 
  

   at 
  all 
  ; 
  its 
  polype-spicules 
  are 
  very 
  large 
  and 
  the 
  mode 
  of 
  branching 
  

   dichotomous. 
  Sydella 
  austmlis, 
  Gray 
  (P. 
  Z. 
  S. 
  1872, 
  p. 
  747, 
  pi. 
  Ixiii. 
  

   figs. 
  8, 
  9), 
  from 
  Sydney, 
  only 
  known 
  from 
  a 
  drawing, 
  is 
  perhaps 
  

   another 
  Australian 
  Leptogorgia 
  distinguished 
  by 
  a 
  long 
  termination 
  

   to 
  the 
  branchlcts 
  bare 
  of 
  cells. 
  

  

  c 
  .,„^^ 
  ^ 
  '/ 
  PSAMMOGORGIA, 
  r^rnZ?. 
  

  

  17. 
  Psammogorgia 
  rectangularis. 
  (Plate 
  XXXVI. 
  figs. 
  A, 
  a, 
  «''.) 
  

  

  Corallum 
  erect, 
  branching 
  in 
  one 
  plane 
  ; 
  the 
  main 
  branches 
  pin- 
  

   nate 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  with 
  short 
  claviform 
  twigs, 
  projected 
  almost 
  at 
  

   right 
  angles 
  to 
  branches, 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  8 
  to 
  20 
  millim. 
  

  

  Stem 
  cylindrical, 
  about 
  1*25 
  millim. 
  in 
  diameter. 
  Branches 
  

   rather 
  compressed 
  from 
  front 
  to 
  back 
  ; 
  average 
  diameter 
  from 
  side 
  

   to 
  side 
  2 
  millim. 
  ; 
  diameter 
  of 
  small 
  branches 
  at 
  origin 
  1 
  millim., 
  at 
  

  

  