REPORT ON THE ALCYONARIA. 67 



diminishes slowly towards the apex. The axis is, till near the apex, hard, brittle, of a 

 horny yellow colour, on the surface with a golden glitter, iridescent, towards the apex it 

 becomes quite soft and flexible. The transverse section is elongatedly oval. If one 

 follows the longer axis of the transverse section along the course of the stem, one sees 

 that as it jjroceeds further up the stem it undergoes a twisting, which at a fourth from 

 the apex reaches 360°, so that the stem appears to be twisted in a long .spiral, and 

 thence commences a second spiral twist up to the apex. The stem is clothed with a very 

 thin ccenenchyma, which contains a single layer of flat calcareous spicules. 



The twigs come off apparently from all sides of the stem, at very blunt, almost 

 right angles, and foUow very close upon one another, so that the distance between two 

 twigs reaches only 1"5 to 2 mm.; they are most thickly placed at the cud of the stem. 

 On a closer examination one sees that the twigs surround the stem in short spirals, so 

 that the points of origin of four twigs always form an ascending spiral, thence it results 

 that the twigs arise mainly from three sides of the stem. But since the stem itself is 

 spii'ally twisted this condition is difficult to follow. The length of the twigs reaches 

 50 mm., their thickness at the base is only 0'5 mm.; their axis has, like that of the stem, 

 an oval transverse section, is brittle at the commencement, but soon becomes soft and 

 flexible. The twigs are generally simple, they sometimes fork, near their base, into two 

 equivalent lateral twigs. 



The polyp calyces are relatively large, 2 mm. long, and of pear-shaped form. The 

 summit expanded and the base constricted. They arise on the twigs at varying 

 intervals, but never in whorls or oppositely, they arc most thickl}'' placed on the cuds 

 of the twigs, the apices of which are generally occupied by a poIyiJ. Usually the polyps 

 are placed on the twigs, like those on the stem, in short spirals of always three to four 

 calyces. The calyx scales are large, sj^mmetrical, the upper edge convex, finely toothed, 

 in the second uppermost row the middlemost tooth is somewhat lengthened, in the 

 highest the scales are nearly lancet-shaped. There are seven rows of calyx scales one 

 above the other, which are arranged in five dorsal and lateral rows. The ventral scales 

 are smaller, more polygonal, in two to five longitudinal rows, of these the edge of the 

 lower one always projects beyond the base of the next above. The opercular scales are 

 eight in number, lancet-shaped, concave towards the outside ; the ventral ones are a little 

 smaller than the dorsal ones, l)ut always more deeply placed. 



New twigs and polyps arise on the end of the stem, so that here the growth is 

 terminal. Under the apex of the stem, whose end is ■nathout ccencncliyma, one fii-st of all 

 finds several polj'ps, of which some are very much elongated, a thin liorny axis projects 

 into their base spindle-like, and small polyp buds arise. In other parts the formation 

 of a small branch has already taken place, the terminal polyp is placed on a horny axis, 

 on a long peduncle on which new polyps arise. 



Calyx spicules. — Broader than long, slightly toothed on the edges, without prominent 



