Yeirill, Notes on Madiata. 447 



an inch, the branchlets mostly arising from their outer side in a some- 

 what secund manner. They curve outward a little and then rise sub- 

 parallel to the bi-anches, and some of them again subdivide. The ter- 

 minal ones are from "5 to 2 inches long, very slender and flexible, 

 of nearly uniform size throughout. 



A large specimen from Zorritos consists of seven large, comjjressed, 

 divergent branches, arising together from close to the base. These 

 rapidly divide into many long, slender branches, which form an acute 

 angle with the larger branch, and arise at distinces of "25 to 1 inch 

 apart, becoming more distant outward. The secondary branches di- 

 vide in the same manner, and likewise many of the resulting branch- 

 lets. In this manner the branches form a broad, rounded, fan-shaped 

 corallum, with long, very slender, flexible, terminal branchlets, some of 

 which are 5 or 6 inches long, but most of them 2 or 3 inches. The 

 verruca) are very small, but usually quite prominent, with an elonga- 

 ted, slender, sharp, lower lip, which is often but little incitrved at tip, 

 and composed of long, slender, acute spindles, which project at the 

 tip. 



In the Panama specimens the verrucas are not crowded and scarcely 

 imbricated or appressed, but in the large specimens from Zorritos 

 they are smaller, crowded, more or less imbricated, with a shorter 

 and less acute lower lip. The ca?nenchyma is thin, covered with 

 small, slender, rough spindles. Axis black and somewhat compressed 

 in the larger branches, strongly compressed in the large specimens ; 

 brown and setiform in the branchlets. Coloi-, of dry specimens, gray- 

 ish white ; in alcohol dark gray, polyps brown. In life, " stem white, 

 polyps dark brown." In the Zorritos specimen, during life, " the stem 

 is pure white, polyps light brown, body of polyps ti-ansparent. The 

 eight tentacles appear as mere thickenings of the edge of the disk, 

 often giving it a somewhat angular form," — F. H. B. 



The largest Panama specimens measure 3 '5 high by 3 broad; and 4 

 inches high by 3*5 broad; diameter of branchlets, including verrucas, 

 •10 to -12 ; length of verrucse -05 to -06 ; diameter '02 or '03. The lar- 

 gest specimen from Zorritos is 17 inches high ; 18 broad ; diameter of 

 largest branches at base '30 to '40 ; of branchlets '07 to '10. 



The spicula are white, the larger ones consisting of remarkably long, 

 slender, and acute warty spindles, which are often bent ; of somewhat 

 stouter and shorter, roughly warted and spinulose spindles ; witli a few 

 very rougli, often lobed, irregular spicula, and rather long, thorny 

 clubs. The characteristic, very slender, acute spindles are covered 

 with very small, scattered warts. 



Trans. Connecticut Acad., Vol. I. 57 January, 1869. 



