154 HISTORY OF BRITISH ZOOPHYTES. 
characteristics is, that its pinne or plumules lean so much 
to one side (as the fine figures of it by Ellis and Dr. John- 
ston indicate), that it has somewhat the appearance of being 
unilateral, and consequently like a feather shorn of its rays 
on one side. In this specimen the plumules, instead of 
leaning to one side, proceed uniformly from the stem in 
opposite directions; and as the plumules on each side of 
the stem were upwards of an inch in length, and of a silvery 
colour in the water, handsome feathers were thus formed, 
fitted to vie even with those in the tail of the beautiful silver 
pheasant. In one respect they differed from the tail-fea- 
ther of a real pheasant,—the pinnee came not to a point, 
but continued to diverge on each to the top, so that the 
summit had rather a rounded appearance, approaching that 
of the peacock feather. 
We were going to say, that in a still more important respect 
it was singularly beautiful, in having vesicles, but we now 
remember that it was a specimen subsequently obtained 
that had this distinction. We were much struck with its 
remarkable appearance, and having observed that it was 
mentioned in the first edition of Dr. Johnston’s ‘ History of 
British Zoophytes,’ that the vesicles of this handsome coral- 
line were still a desideratum, I sent the specimen forthwith 
