Verrill, Notes o)i I^aJiafa. 383 



the sides and regularly overlai)i)in<; behind. Near the ui)per end 

 they become more oblique and less crowded, about 15 to an incli, but 

 overlap strongly. These wings are everywhere evenly rounded out- 

 wardly and more or less crescent-shaped. The axis is white, solid 

 and very calcareous, subcylindrical, with three slight longitudinal 

 grooves, diameter -03 of an inch in the middle of the largest speci- 

 mens. The radiating spines of the wings are smooth and sharp at 

 the outer end, longitudinally striated toward the base, which is en- 

 larged to a greater or less extent, flattened, and usually divided by 

 several irregular incisions into unequal lobes. In the largest speci- 

 mens, several of these spines measure respectively 1-5 7""" long by 

 •20""" wide; 1-47""" long by -25""" wide; 1-36'""' long by -IS"'" wide. 

 The small spicula among the bases of these and in the coenenchyma 

 are slender, somewhat prismatic, and acicular; those of average size 

 measure "SO'"'" long by '05""" thick, but many are smaller than this. 

 The entire diameter of the largest specimen from Panama Bay, 

 from which the above measurements are taken, in the middle portion 

 is '10 of an inch ; its length is unknown, both ends being broken off. 



A nearly perfect specimen from Cape St. Lucas, having much smaller 

 Avings and spines, measures 6 "8 inches in length ; diameter in middle 

 •07; of bulbous base ^14; length of bulb to commencement of wings 

 (much contracted) 1"30; length, or elevation, of wings •OS. Color, in 

 alcohol, yellowish white. 



Pearl Islands, Bay of Panama, dredged in 4 to 6 fathoms, — F. H. 

 Bradley ; Cape St. Lucas, — J. Xantus. 



Virgularia gracilis Gabb. 



Viryularld gracUis Gabb, appears to be near the preceding, but no 

 mention is made of spines below the lateral wings, which are said to 

 be acute. It may be a different species or even a different genus. 

 The specific names, gracilis and elongata, were, by a singular coinci- 

 dence, independently given to these forms by Mr. Gabb and myself at 

 about the same time. The following is the original description : 



" Polypidom long and very slender. Decorticated stem circular or 

 elliptical in section, smooth on the surface. Polypiferous lobes slen- 

 der, exsert, lunate, acute at the tips and broad at the base ; arranged 

 obliquely and alternately on the antero-lateral face of the stem. 

 These lobes occupy the upper half of the polypidom ; retaining their 

 full size to the extreme a|3ex, but diminishing below, so that on the 

 middle of the stem they are exceedingly minuie ; and an inch or two 

 below, are only represented l>y a slight ridge on the sheath, in which 



Tr.vxs. Coxxecticut Acad., Vol. I. 49 April, 1868. 



