399 



very shy, and refused to fully expand themselves, but after 

 being kept for a few days, tlie water being continually clianged, 

 they appear to have become accustomed to the novel external 

 conditions and unfurled themselves in all directions. Their 

 resemblance then, under the microscope, to some beautiful 

 trumpet-shaped flower of the genus Cereus, belonging to the 

 cactus tribe, was most striking. PI. XXI, fig. 6, though very 

 far from doing justice to their graceful appearance, repre- 

 senting two of these polypes, the one entirely and the other 

 only partially expanded. It was only under such conditions 

 that the relative positions and arrangement of the various 

 forms of spicula could be appreciated ; most marked among 

 these were the bright red ones of the basal tentacular region, 

 and which forming dense triangular fascicles, as illustrated in 

 the plate, imparted to the animals the characteristic colour 

 conspicuous even to the unassisted eye. Another circum- 

 stance attracting attention were the minor pinnate divisions 

 of the tentacles themselves ; these in life are cylindrical and 

 capable of independent motion, and seem, in fact, to fulfil 

 the jDart of perfect though miniature tentacular organs. The 

 exquisitely transparent tubular body readily permitted the 

 discernment of the enclosed alimentary canal with the de- 

 pendent filamentous ovaries, as also the circulation of the 

 contained fliiids. 



This last species, in general outward appearance, would 

 seem to closely approach various representatives of the genus 

 Alcijonium proper, and more particularly A. stellatu7n 

 (M.-Edw.). In that genus, however, the polypes are always 

 completely retractile, and their non-retractility, in conjunc- 

 tion with the solitary disposition of the polyp-cells, in my 

 species, renders it requisite to establish a new genus for its 

 reception. 



achievements iu photography, for the loan of numerous glass receptacles 

 specially adapted for the preservation of living marine organisms, and but 

 for which I should have been deprived of the opportunity of carrying out 

 more than one half of the investigations the expedition afforded me the gra- 

 tification of prosecuting. 



