A. E. Verrill — Additions to the Fauna of the Bermudas. 53 



When living the color is black, and when first taken from the 

 sea the water, mixed with mucus, that drips from the branches is 

 almost ink-black and imparts a black stain to one's clothes and hands. 

 This black coloring matter gives a black color to a large quantity of 

 alcohol or formalin solution. 



When dried the coral is black or dark umber. The polyps are 

 yellowish brown, large and long in expansion. They contract rather 

 slowly, but completely. 



The spicules of the coenenchyma (pi. ix) are mostly rather large 

 and variable in form ; the most characteristic are moderately stout, 

 roughly warted spindles, sometimes with a side-lobe or branch ; 

 others are short thick spindles ; with these are many others of 

 smaller size. 



This species was taken in about eight feet of water at " The 

 Reach," where there is a rather strong tidal current. 



The size and form of the calicles and slight development of their 

 lower lip wall distinguish this from the allied species. 



Verrucella grandis V., sp. nov. 



Plate IX. Figures 1, 3, 3. 



This is a large, dichotomously branched, arborescent, yellow 

 species, that grows at least five feet high. 



The trunk is 12 to 16™™ in diameter, and the axis is round, very 

 hard, calcareous, light brownish yellow. The coenenchyma is rather 

 thin, but hard, deep ocher-yellow, or inclining to orange-yellow. It 

 forks repeatedh, so that there are numerous long and rather slender 

 terminal branches, 12 to 18 inches long (300 to 450™™) and 2 to 4™™ 

 in diameter. The branches are somewhat flattened and occasionally 

 squarish, with a sulcation along each side. The verrucse, on the 

 trunk and larger branches, are low and broadly rounded, about 1 to 

 To™™ in diameter, crowded in 3 or 4 rows on each side ; on the 

 branchlets they are mostly in two alternating rows on each side and 

 are more elevated ; their wider bases are in contact ; summit 

 rounded. 



The spicules of the coenenchyma (figure 3) are orange-colored, and 

 small ; the most abundant are short, strongly warted, double 

 spindles ; with these are many short forms, not much longer than 

 broad, with papillose ends ; several other smaller forms also occur. 



A single large specimen, five feet high, was brought up from the 

 depth of about 100 feet, outside the North Reefs, on a fisherman's 

 hook, May, 1901. 



