170 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGEE. 



SO that on fracture of the mass the broken ends of the spicules form an almost level 

 surface. AVhen all the calcareous material is removed, there is very little alteration 

 in the bulk of the axis, and a very slight alteration in the shape of the individual 

 spicules. 



The ccenenchyma is thin, with very large warty spindle-shaped spicules forming a 

 dense pavement over the stem and branches ; these get smaller at the base of the 

 verrucfe, where they envelope the eight-rayed star projection, which covers over the 

 completely reti-acted polyps. 



The verrucse are but little elevated ; a coronet of minute acerate spicules surrounds 

 the bases of the tentacles, and these are also to be met with in the tentacles. 



The two largest of the fragments measure, respectively, 80 mm. in length by 7 mm. 

 in breadth ; 60 mm. long by 8 mm. broad. The verrucse measure from 3 to 5 mm. in 

 breadth. 



When a fragment is dried, the pink colour slightly fades, owing to a white cuticle- 

 like layer, which seems to envelop the whole of the spicules of the ccenenchyma, and 

 which becomes opaque on drying ; it is just jjossible that this may have given origin to 

 the statement of Duehassaing and Michelotti already referred to. 



The spicules measure as follows : — the large red spindles in the ccenenchyma, 2'4-0"32 ; 

 2-1-0-3; 1-84-0-3; 1-60-0-6; r08-0-4 mm. The fiattish disc-like forms 0-4-0-2; 0-26- 

 0-406; 0-5-0-3 mm. The small spindles 0-3-0-1; 0-28-0-04; 0-24-0-04; 0-20-0-04 mm. 

 The spicules of the polyi) and tentacles 0-2-0-06 ; 0-2-0-04 ; 0-1-0-02 ; 0-08-0-02 mm. 



Habitat. — Station 232, Hyalonema-g-£OVin.di, off Japan ; depth, 345 fathoms. 



Family HI. M e l i t o D i D .^. 



Isidinx (pars), Milne-Edwards, Hist. Nat. des Coralliaires, t. i. p. 192, 1857. 



MeKthseacex (pars), KoUiker, Icones Histiologies, p. 142, 1865. 



Melitheeadx ; Mo^jsellads: ; Trinelladx, Gray, Cat. Lithophytes, pp. 3-13, 1870. 



Elliselladx (pars), Gray, Cat. Lithophytes, p. 24, 1870. 



Melithxacex, Klunziuger, Die Korallenthiere des rothen Meeres, p. 57, 1877. 



Melithxidx, Eidley, Zool. Coll. H.M.S. "Alert," p. 356, 1884. 



TrinelUdx, Eidley, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 5, vol. x. p. 130, 1882. 



The name MeUt£ea having been used for a genus of Insects by Fabricius in 1808, four 

 years before it was employed by Lamouroux, it was replaced by Verrill in 1865 by 

 the name Melitodes, and as the family name "Melithisida^" has been used in so many 

 various senses, it seems advisable to adopt the name suggested by Verrill also for the 

 family. 



The family, as understood by us, embraces those forms of Alcyonaria in which the axis 

 consists of an alternating series of hard and soft joints ; the intimate structure of both of these 



