﻿ALCYONARIA. 
  347 
  

  

  having 
  covered 
  the 
  ends 
  again 
  ; 
  the 
  same 
  thing, 
  curiously 
  enough, 
  

   appears 
  to 
  have 
  occurred 
  with 
  tlie 
  hasc 
  itself, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  specimen 
  

   must 
  have 
  been 
  living 
  unattached 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  capture. 
  The 
  stem 
  

   and 
  branches 
  are 
  slightl}^ 
  flattened 
  from 
  front 
  to 
  back, 
  and 
  tlie 
  

   greatest 
  diameter 
  of 
  the 
  proximal 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  base 
  is 
  3 
  millim., 
  of 
  

   the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  branches 
  1 
  to 
  1-25 
  millim. 
  The 
  verruca; 
  are 
  very 
  

   prominent 
  (about 
  -G 
  millim, 
  long), 
  and 
  appressed 
  against 
  the 
  branch 
  

   itself 
  at 
  ends 
  of 
  branches, 
  less 
  prominent 
  towards 
  the 
  base. 
  The 
  

   stem 
  and 
  branches 
  are 
  but 
  slightly 
  flexible, 
  and 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  bent 
  at 
  

   an 
  angle 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  45° 
  without 
  risk 
  of 
  breakage. 
  

  

  Hah. 
  N.E. 
  coast 
  of 
  Australia 
  (exact 
  locality 
  unfortunately 
  lost). 
  

  

  Ohs. 
  If 
  the 
  spicular 
  characters 
  of 
  this 
  genus 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  considered, 
  

   as 
  seems 
  almost 
  necessary, 
  as 
  often 
  (from 
  their 
  very 
  slight 
  tendency 
  

   to 
  variation) 
  insufficient 
  to 
  distinguish 
  species, 
  this 
  form 
  might 
  be 
  

   separated 
  from 
  the 
  species 
  to 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  doubtfully 
  assigned 
  it 
  on 
  

   the 
  score 
  of 
  the 
  external 
  points 
  of 
  difference 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  indicated. 
  

   These 
  may, 
  however, 
  be 
  considered 
  insufficient 
  for 
  this 
  jiurpose, 
  a 
  

   conclusion 
  wliich 
  has 
  in 
  its 
  favour 
  the 
  consideration 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  evi- 
  

   dently 
  a 
  young 
  and 
  somewhat 
  imperfect 
  specimen, 
  and, 
  having 
  been 
  

   kept 
  in 
  spirit, 
  may 
  have 
  lost 
  much 
  of 
  its 
  original 
  colour. 
  The 
  

   species 
  has 
  hitherto 
  been 
  recorded 
  only 
  from 
  the 
  West 
  Indies 
  and 
  

   Mediterranean. 
  Tliat 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  impossible 
  case 
  for 
  an 
  Alcyo- 
  

   narian 
  appears 
  from 
  the 
  analogous 
  instance 
  of 
  the 
  (nearly 
  allied) 
  

   CtenocdJa 
  pectuiata^ 
  Pallas, 
  which 
  I 
  record 
  from 
  Cuba 
  in 
  this 
  Report, 
  

   its 
  only 
  other 
  recorded 
  habitat 
  being 
  the 
  Indo-Pacific 
  area. 
  Indeed 
  

   this 
  identification 
  receives 
  further 
  confirmation 
  from 
  the 
  presence 
  

   in 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  a 
  sjieciraen 
  labelled 
  as 
  from 
  Formosa, 
  which 
  

   diff'ers 
  from 
  the 
  typical 
  J. 
  elongata 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  less 
  distinct 
  and 
  more 
  

   appressed 
  character 
  of 
  its 
  verrucae, 
  a 
  point 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  largely 
  due 
  

   to 
  some 
  peculiarity 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  specimen 
  has 
  been 
  

   dried. 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  points 
  (as 
  the 
  colour 
  and 
  ])rominence 
  of 
  the 
  verrucse) 
  our 
  

   Australian 
  species 
  approaches 
  J. 
  (/emmacea 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  identified 
  

   witli 
  that 
  species 
  a 
  form 
  wliich 
  is 
  in 
  this 
  district 
  more 
  deeply 
  coloured 
  

   and 
  has 
  a 
  very 
  flexible 
  stem. 
  

  

  21. 
  Juncella 
  fragilis. 
  (Plate 
  XXXVI. 
  fig. 
  D.) 
  

  

  Stem 
  long 
  (unbranchcd 
  ?), 
  diminishing 
  very 
  slowly 
  in 
  diameter 
  

   towards 
  apex, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  either 
  clavate 
  or 
  sharp-pointed 
  ; 
  flexible, 
  

   easily 
  broken 
  ; 
  diameter 
  at 
  base 
  about 
  5 
  millim., 
  at 
  apex 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  

   millim,, 
  except 
  when 
  the 
  apex 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  sharp 
  point. 
  Cortex 
  

   thick, 
  cream-white 
  in 
  dried 
  state, 
  soft, 
  but 
  not 
  very 
  friable 
  ; 
  no 
  

   trace 
  of 
  lateral 
  naked 
  line 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  three 
  fourths 
  of 
  length. 
  

   Verruca) 
  small, 
  viz. 
  about 
  I 
  millim. 
  high, 
  clavate, 
  closely 
  appressed 
  

   against 
  cortex 
  ; 
  crowded 
  over 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  Axis 
  very 
  

   slender, 
  viz, 
  about 
  1 
  millim, 
  in 
  diameter 
  near 
  base 
  and 
  hair-like 
  at 
  

   apex 
  ; 
  near 
  base 
  hard, 
  pale 
  olive-brown, 
  and 
  beset 
  with 
  regular 
  

   longitudinal 
  stria). 
  

  

  