EEPORT ON THE ALCYONARIA. 11 



upwards at angles of 35° to 40° to the stem. Tlieir hiw of branching is the sam« as in 

 the foregoing species, onl}- the twigs coming off form sharper angles with the branches, and 

 the lateral twigs witLthe twigs. The terminal twigs are hair-like. The axis is yellowish- 

 brown, the stem has a shining, feebly iridescent surface, soft and flexibLe, the same in the 

 tvngs. It rises sharply and directly from the completely calcified base. 



The pol}'ps are pitcher-shaped, with very broad bases, constricted beneath the circlet of 

 tentacles. This form seems conditional upon, the fact that the lower portion of the body 

 contains in all a great number of ova, and cannot therefore Ijc regarded as specifically 

 characteristic, since it is dependent upon the maturity of the sexual organs at the time. 



The spicules of the outer layer are large spindles, rounded off at one end, pointed at" 

 the other, often somewhat constricted in the middle. Little warts cover theii' surface, 

 and at the blunt end are produced into minute teeth. In 

 the polyps they are placed longitudinally, with the blunt 

 end in front, iu the tentacles they form four to five rows, 

 towards the base they assume an oblique direction, and 

 then pass up the stem, where they are placed longi- 

 tudinally ; while broad near the poljqj, further away thev 

 assume a more spindle-like shape, with a blunt end, and 

 they are covered with sharp little spines. 



Spicules of the polyps, length to breadth in mm. — 

 0-41-0-07 ; 0-41-0-04; 0-25 -0-03 ; 0-33-0-03 ; in the ^lo- 3.-T.amincation ot i)as!/g,>rgia 



' Jli-cuis, n. sp. 



coenenchyma "4-0 '04. 



The deeper layer consists of flat, very differently shaped bodies, which are attached 

 to one another by fine teeth. At the base of the pol^-p they form large, transversely 

 elongated, somewhat crooked bodies, which in their curvature are adapted to the con- 

 vexity of the body wall. Length to breadth 0-08-0-267 ; 0-1-0-19 mm.; towards 

 the mouth they become small flat scales or flat spindles without sculpture. In the 

 tentacles one also meets with longish scales with sharp teeth on the edges. Lenorth to 

 breadth 0-1-0-18; 0-04-0-14; 0-04-0-12; 0-06-0-14 ; 0-12-0'16 mm. Finally tliere are 

 spindles with serrated edges, one end of which is produced into tiirce or four fin^cr-like 

 processes. Height to breadth ■2-0 "01 8. In the ccenenchjTna the lower layer consists 

 of small plates, of oval, three-cornered, polygonal form, of verj- different sizes, 0"25-0"05 ; 

 0-18, 0-2, 0-1 mm. 



Habitat. — Station 307 ; coast of ChUoe ; depth, 120 fathoms; bottom, blue mud. 



3. Dasygorgia ciipressa, n. sp. (PI. Y. fig. 3). 



The strong stem, rising from a flat, , expanded, calcareous basis, gives oft' successive 

 spirals of branches at short intervals. These develop twigs and lateral twigs, which come 



