246 A. FE. Verrill—The Bermuda Islands; Coral Reefs. 
This delicate coral is rare on the outer reefs, but is common in 
sheltered situations on the reefs and ledges, especially in Harring- 
ton Sound, where it occurs under shaded cavernous places in the 
shore ledges, in very shallow water, and also to the depths of 2 to 6 
fathoms or more. It also occurs in Castle Harbor. 
When full grown it may become a foot in diameter, but large 
specimens are nearly all irregular. The best formed are 2 to 5 
inches in diameter. It is always attached by a narrow but strong 
pedicel, so that the thin edges of the cup are usually broken in 
detaching the coral, unless found in so shoal water that it can be 
taken by hand. 
The color of the coral, in life, on the upper side is usually choco- 
late brown, yellowish brown, or purplish brown with pale radial 
lines; often dull yellowish brown below. The tentacles are whitish, 
very small and short in those that were best expanded ; disk not 
raised to level of calicle rims, but possibly we did not see them fully 
expanded; the mouth is relatively large, rounded or elliptical. 
Spurious and Superfluous Species. 
On the previous pages I have enumerated all the true corals that 
are known to occur at Bermuda in shallow water. Others may yet 
be found there. Several others have been found in deep water, near 
Bermuda, and on Challenger Bank, in 25 to 40 fathoms. (See list 
in these Trans., xi, p. 182.) 
Certain species have been erroneously attributed to Bermuda, 
from various causes. 
Gregory erroneously recorded Colpophyllia gyrosa from Bermuda 
because of his confounding it with Mussa fragilis. He also errone- 
ously recorded Agaricia agaricites because he confounded A. fragilis 
with it in his synonymy. Neither of these two common West Indian 
species has hitherto been found in Bermuda. 
Nor have any of the varieties of Acropora (or Madrepora) muri- 
cata, though they are often sold in the curiosity shops to travelers, 
as if of Bermuda origin. They are all imported from the West 
Indians “for the trade,” especially variety prolifera. 
more or less solid columella, or else a circle of close pali, which he speaks of as 
a central ‘‘cylinder” united to the ‘‘lamellz.” The calicles were described as 
prominent and the septa free at the summit, rounded, and crenulate. It may 
have been a variety of Favia fragum, though the latter has no solid columella, 
