Ven'ill, Xotes on liadlata. 421 



The large, rounded, unequal, eight-rayed verrucje are sufficient to 

 distinguish this from all other known species. Two specimens only 

 were obtained. 

 Mnricea tubigera Ven-ni, sp. nov. 



Plate VII, figure 7. Plate VIIT, figure 2. 

 Corallum stout and rigid, dichotomously branched, with greatly 

 elongated, squarrose verrucie. The trunk divides at about an inch 

 from the base into two main branches, which fork at about an inch 

 from their origin. The secondary branches usually fork again at dis- 

 tances varying from two to five inches, and the tertiary branches are 

 often again divided. The terminal branches are from 1'5 to 2*5 

 inches long and nearly as large as the main branches (-4 inch), 

 obtusely rounded, and sometimes a little enlarged or clavate at the 

 ends. The branches are but little divergent and form aciite angles. 

 The coenenchyma is only moderately thick, but is crowdedly covered 

 with very long, rather slender verruca?, which stand nearly at right 

 angles to the surface and give the branches a thick appearance. The 

 verrucse are enlarged or clavate at their summits, which are rounded 

 and conspiciiously eight-rayed in contraction ; their sides covered 

 with closely imbricated, long, i-ather slender and sharp spicula, which 

 project but little from the surface. At the tips of the branches the 

 verrucffi are smaller and densely crowded. Axis horn-like, light 

 wood-brown at base, black and somewhat compressed in the l)ranches. 

 Color light greenish bi'own when dried. 



Height of the largest specimen 8 inches; breadth 4'5 ; diameter of 

 main branches, including verruca?, -oO ; of branchlets '40 to '45 ; 

 length of verruca^ -15 to "20; diameter '05; their summits '08. 



The spicula are yellowish white, and similar to those of the pre- 

 ceding species, but longer, more slender, sharper at the ends, and 

 usually with less crowded warts and spinules. The spindles of the 

 cells are not larger than those of the coenenchyma, but often stouter ; 

 the latter are mostly very slender and acute, often larger and blunter 

 on one end than the other, or somewhat club-shaped, the spinules 

 being more crowded on the larger end and mostly truncate, while on 

 the small end, which is long, slender and acute, they are sharp, conical, 

 and distantly scattered. 



The longer spindles of the cells measure 2-28'""' by -324, l-;36 by 

 •182, 1-32 by -152, 1-29 by •137, •SSI by ^091, -608 by '061 ; the stouter 

 ones 1-36 by -228, -988 by -187, -699 by -121 ; the small irregular ones 

 •213 by -071, -187 by •lOG, -121 by •061; heads '076 by -076; the 

 longer spindles of the coenenchyma measure 2*37 by •325, ^80 by 



