434 Yerrill, Notes on Radiata. 



of this (Tonus apneirs to be remarkably constant, altliougli quite vari- 

 able in some genera of Gorgonidse. 



Muricea formosa Vcrriu, sp nov. 



Plate VlII, figure 15. 



Corallum white, dicbotomous, the branches moderately stout, diver- 

 gent, with elongated squarrose verrucre. 



Tlie single specimen in the collection forks at about half an inch 

 from the liase ; one branch divides again witliin half an inch ; the other 

 forks at two inches, each divi^■ion again subdividing irregularly. The 

 branchlets diverge at first with a wide angle, often even 90°, and then 

 curve upward ; they are short, somewhat conical, obtuse at the end. 

 The verruca' are elongated, somewhat conical, with tlie acute lower 

 lip projecting beyond the upper, and spiny with the projecting ends of 

 elongated, sharp spicules. Cells placed on the upper side and near 

 the end of the verruca-, suimounted by a cluster of white polyp-spin- 

 dles when the polyps are contracted. Coenenchyma rather thin, the 

 surtace covered with rather short and stout, nearly regular spindles. 

 Axis wood-brown at base, brownit-h black in the branches. Color 

 pure white throughout. 



In life, " the color, both of branches and polyps, is pure white ; po- 

 lyps very inconspicuous, sessile, with eight short, pinnate tentacles," 

 — F. H. B. 



Height 4 inches; breadth 3 ; length of branchlets '5 to 1'5 ; diame- 

 ter, including verrucse, "30 to "So ; length of verruca^ '08 to •!2; diam- 

 eter -04 to -OG. 



The spicula are clear white, of moderate size, comparatively smooth ; 

 the larger are mostly rather elongated spindles from the verruca3, with 

 one end usually quite sharp ; and short, stout, blunt spindles and irreg- 

 ular spicula from the coenenchyma. The longer spindles from the ver- 

 rucfe sometimes taper regularly to both ends, which are acute; others 

 have one end short, the other tapering abruptly, truncate, or even 

 forked ; the outer surface is covered with very small, crowded warts, 

 the inner surfiice with very small, low spinules, which gives them a 

 rather smooth appearance when moderately enlarged. The stout 

 spicula, mostly from the coenenchyma, are in large part short, stout 

 spindles, often regularly elliptical in outline, with the ends regularly 

 tapering and blunt ; some are irregular spindles, one end often much 

 the largest and blunt or rounded, the other somewhat acute ; others 

 are of various shapes, soaietimes sub-triangular, often bent. All are 

 covered with veiy small warts and spinules, like the longer ones. The 



