12 



THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



otf at sharp angles iu a horizontal plane. The bending of the branches at the points 

 where the twigs come oft" is very slight. The terminal twigs are very long, elastic, and 

 flexible. The polyps, which arise with broad bases, are placed singly on the long inter- 

 nodes of the twigs and stand perpendicularly to their axis of support. The spicules 

 are thick spindles, with a few very small warts. They are placed longitudinally in the 

 polyps. The whole stalk, with its abundant, closely placed twigs, which appear to come 

 oft' from all sides of the stem, recalls in appearance- a delicately branched Conifer. The 

 base appears as a flat, calcareous plate, 50 mm. in diameter and 0"5 to 1 mm. thick, which 

 spreads itself out over a piece of recent sandstone. At one side the edge is turned over and 

 holds on to the substratum. The stem rises from the middle of this base. It is sharply 

 marked ofi" from the white calcareous basis, from which it appears to arise directly, by 

 the horny consistency of its axis and the brown colour. The height reaches 150 mm. 



Fig. 4. — Ramification oi DasijgorgUi. cupressa, u. sp. 



The diameter at the base is 4 mm., and the branches, which commence at 7 mm. from the 

 base, arise at successive heights from four sides of the stem. The fifth is always iu line 

 with the first. These five branches form a spiral turn round the stem, and the origin of the 

 individual branches is closely approximated. In the lower part of the stem the difi"erence 

 between the origin of two branches is but 0"5 to 1 mm., while in the upper part it is 1"5 

 to 2 mm. A spiral turn in the lower part extends over 4 mm. of the stem, in the upper 

 part over 8 mm. The branches leave the stem at rather less than a right angle, are 

 directed somewhat outwards, and are of about the same length from the lower jjart to 

 near the apex, reaching 50 mm. Their thickness at the point of origin reaches 2 mm. ; 

 the bendiugs which the stem everywhere undergoes at their origin give it the appearance 

 of being twisted spirally around its central axis. The ramification of the branches takes 

 place in the horizontal plane according to the usual law. The main branch is a little bent 

 at the origin of the twigs, the first of which reach the thickness of the main stem. 



