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Off the coast of Japjin occiu's Coralliuiii japoniann and several 

 species which would be inchided on the old system in the genus 

 PleurocoralUum but are referred to the genus Corailium by Kishinouye. 



Isolated specimens of Coralliidae were also obtained off Banda in 

 200 fathoms, the Ki islands 140 fathoms and Prince Edward Jsland 

 310 fathoms by the Challenger and there is a doubtful record of 

 a specimen of PleurocoralUum seamdwn from the Sandwich islands, 

 f'isheries of more or less importance have been carried on in tiie 

 Mediterranean Sea, off the Cape Verde Islands and of!' the coast of 

 Japan, but there is not, I believe, any historical record of a syste- 

 matic fishery for precious coral in any other part of the world. 



In 1901 the value of the coral obtained off the coast of Japan 

 was over £ 50.000 and it is a fact of considerable interest that 

 a large part of this was exported by the Japanese to Italy. 



The coral Fishery of Japan is of very recent growth for in the 

 time of the Daimyos the collection and sale of coral was prohibited, 

 and it was not until the time of the Meji reform 1868 that it 

 began to assume important dimensions. 



That the Japanese of old times valued the precious coral is shown 

 in the numerous "Netsukes" and other ornaments which are decorated 

 with it; but the origin of this coral is not defijiitely known. 



On many of the Netsukes the coral is represented iji the hands of 

 darkskinned fishermen, "Kurombo"; never in the hands or nets of 

 the Japanese. 



Now the art of Japan is quite sufficiently accurate to pi-ove that 

 the Kurombo were not Ainos nor Japanese, nor Malays nor Euro- 

 peans; bnt the curly-hair, the broad noses and other features that 

 are consistently shown render it almost certain that the Kurombo 

 were Melanesians or Papuans. 



The only regions where such folk live that have hitherto yielded 

 specimens of precious coral are the Banda seas. As already mentioned 

 the Challenger discovered precious coral in deep water off the Banda 

 and Ki islands, but the specimens were "dead" and it was consequently 

 impossible to determine definitely to what species they belong, but 

 they were referred by Ridley to the species PhurocoralUurii secundum. 



In the material that was kindly sent to me by Prof. Max Wkber 

 from the rich collections of H. M. Siboga there were a few small 

 pieces of a beautiful coral which I recognised at once to be a Coral- 

 liid. There can be no doubt that it was alive when captured by the 

 di'edge and it reached me, not fully expanded, but in a good slate 

 of preservation. 



The locality of this find was station 280 i. e. at a depth of 1224 



