Yemll, Notes on Radiata. 425 



B. — Vcrrucm more or less ivominetit ; celh bilabiate, or opening upivard, with the lower 



Up more or less prolonged. 

 1. — Verrucce large, elevated, spreading, neither appressed nor imbricated, or but 

 slightly so. 



Muricea crassa Veniii, sp. nov. 



Plate VII, figure 10. Plate VIII, figure 5. 



Corallum very large, dichotomous, Lrancliiug nearly in a plane, the 

 branches thick, clavate, covered with large, prominent, coarse verrucsD, 

 "which are rough witli very large, tliick, blunt spicula. 



Three or four large main brandies usually arise from a thick, swol- 

 len base. These fork at distances of two or three inches, many of the 

 secondary branches being three or four times dichotomous ; while oth- 

 ers are subpinnate, the branchlets usually alternating on opposite 

 sides and from one to two inches apart ; others give off branclilets 

 only on the outside. The branches and branchlets are all thick, often 

 crooked, and bend outward at first, m a broad curve, and then up- 

 ward. Toward the base some of the branches are occasionally co- 

 alescent. The terminal branchlets are from one and a half to four 

 inches long, smaller at base than the branches, but enlarging toward 

 the obtusely rounded end, where they are much enlarged and often 

 clavate, frequently having a diameter of half an inch or more. The 

 crowded verruca^ stand at nearly right angles to the surface of the 

 branchlets and are very large, prominent, rough with large, stout, 

 coarse spicula, which are mostly ratlier blunt at the ends, forming 

 therefore coarse but not sharp spinules at the summit, a cluster of 

 which are a little prolonged, so as to form a short lower lip, wliich is 

 usually a little incurved in contraction, so as to conceal the cell, which 

 opens upward and inward. The large verruca of the branchlets are 

 usually broad at base, somewhat conical, higher than broad, strongly 

 echinate at summit ; tliose of the main branches and trunk are dis- 

 tantly scattered, rounded, low, scarcely as liigli as broad. 



Coenenchyma moderately thick, coarse, with very large, irregular, 

 blunt spicula, conspicuous at the surface. Axis horn-like, light wood 

 brown at base ; round, black, strongly striated in the larger branches, 

 with the axils scarcely compressed ; soft, thick, rigid and brittle when 

 dry, and dark brown in the terminal branchlets. Color dark brown 

 yellowish brown at base. 



Height 20 inches ; breadth 18; diameter of main branches -50 to 

 •90; of terminal branchlets '30 at base, '50 or -60 near the tips; height 

 of verruciB '15 to '20 ; diameter '10. 



