298 A. EF. Verrill—The Bermuda Islands; Coral Reefs. 
sometimes small ones branch out from one or both sides of large 
ones, at various angles.. Off the outer reefs, in 10 to 20 feet of 
water, it often grows to great size, the height sometimes being 5 to 6 
feet and the breadth 4 to 5 feet. Such specimens are very firmly 
attached and are difficult to obtain entire. 
On the inner reefs and in Castle Harbor it is usually only one or 
two feet high, partly, perhaps, because so many are constantly 
gathered by the fishermen for sale to travellers as curiosities. 
In life this species is usually dark purple, becoming lighter purple 
on drying. But many specimens are more or less tinged with yel- 
low, especially on the trunk and main branches. Entirely yellow 
specimens are not so common at Bermuda as in the West Indies. 
These colors are due to the fact that the microscopic spicules of 
the coenenchyma are partly bright purple and partly bright yellow, 
Figure 142.—Gorgonia flabellum ; small portion to show arrangement of cali- 
cles; a, axis; c, cenenchyma, x14. After L. Agassiz. 
the proportion of each color varying in different specimens and in 
different parts of the same specimen. 
The polyps, when expanded, are very small, pale, and translucent; 
they project strongly from the calicles and resemble those of G. 
citrina in form. 
This is one of the species of which the axis has been analyzed by 
Professor Mendel and Mr. Cook for the iodine contents.* The large 
specimens used were furnished by me and came from the outer reefs 
of Bermuda. It was also analyzed by Mr. Cook for its other consti- 
tuents. 
Gorgonia acerosa Pallas. Sea Plume. Plate xxxiiic, fig. 1%; pl. xxxvi, fig. 
1 (18). 
Gorgonia acerosa Pallas, Elench. Zoophy., p. 172, 1766 (non Esper). 
Gorgonia setosa Linn., Syst. Nat., ed. xii, 1767, p. 1292. 
Esper, Pflanz., ii, Gorg., p. 66, pl. xvii, figs, 1-3, 1794 (non Linn.). 
* Mendel, L. B., Amer. Journ. Phys., iv, pp. 248-246, 1900. Cook, F. C., 
Chem. Composition of Gorgonian Corals, op. cit., xii, pp. 95-98. 
OO a TE 
