ALCYONARIANS. — BRIGGS. 65 



arc all in the dried condition. The height of the largest 

 colony is 61 cm., with a width of 27 cm. across the expanded 

 portion. The branching is strictly in one plane, and is 

 generally dichotomous. The nodes are very swollen, and 

 in the largest specimens they have a diameter of 17 mm. 

 The branches are given off from the nodes. 



The polyps are retracted into slightly projecting verrucse, 

 which are scattered over the surface of the stem and branches, 

 but are usually wanting on a median space on the posterior 

 aspect of the colony. 



The spicules of the coenenchyma agree well with those 

 described by Ridley : — (1) coarsely tuberculate, swollen, 

 orange-coloured, fusiform shapes — -175 x -035 mm. ; -140 x 

 •035 mm. ; (2) lemon-yellow coloured " Blattkeulen " — 

 •070 X -035 mm. ; -(152 x -035 mm. ; 047 x -026 mm. The 

 measurements agree fairly closely with Thomson and Mac- 

 kinnon's measurements of the " Thetis " specimens. 



The colour is lemon-yellow to brick-red. 



Locality. — Shoalhaven Bight, New South Wales, 15-45 

 fathoms. 



Distrihtdion. — Port Curtis, 5-11 fathoms, and Port Molle, 

 Queensland, 14 fathoms ; Thursday Island, Torres Straits. 

 4-6 fathoms (Ridley). Dirk Hartog Island, West Australia, 

 45 fathoms (Studer j. The '* Thetis " specimens were obtained 

 at the following localities off the coast of New South Wales : — 

 Eleven miles east of Broken Bay, 30-40 fathoms ; Station 34, 

 off Port Jackson, 39-36 fathoms ; Station 40, off Wata Mooli, 

 52 fathoms ; Station 42, off Wata Mooli, 70-78 fathoms ; 

 Station 48, off Wollongong, 55-56 fathoms (Thomson and 

 Mackinnon). A fragmentary specimen was taken by the 

 Siboga Expedition in the Bay of Nangamessi, Sumba, 36 

 metres (Nutting). 



MoPSELLA TEXTiFORMis {Lamarck). 



Melitcea textijormis, Lamarck, Mem. Mus. Hist. Nat., I., 

 p. 412. Id., Lamouroux, Hist. Polyp, corall. flexibles, 

 1816, p. 464, pi. xix., fig. 1. Id., Gray, Proc. Zool. 

 Soc, 1857, p. 285. 



Melithcea textijormis, Milne-Edwards et Haime, Hist. Nat. 

 Corall., I., 1857, p. 201. 



Melitella textiformis, Gray, Cat. Lithophytes in Brit. Mus., 



1870, p. 7. 



