78 Transactions of the ["C^I^SlT^^! 



this they were vahieless. Such was the verdict of the eminent French 

 naturahst Valenciennes, who, in the ' Comptes Eendus' for 1855, 

 gave an abridged synopsis of the whole family, and described under 

 five heads the leading types of spicula which had fallen under his 

 notice, but unfortunately he was not spared to carry out to their 

 completion the researches he Lad entered upon with so much zeal. 

 A few years later (1857) the first volume of Milne Edwards' ' Histoire 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE XLII. 



FiG_ 1. — Lagenate spiculumof Gorgonia sp. x 300. 



2.— „ „ papillifera, M. Edw., X 300. 



3. — „ „ crinita, Val., X 300. 



4. „ „ sp., probably allied to G. papillosa, Esp.. 



X 300. This drawing is enlarged from a figure given in ' Quekett'.s 

 Lectures oa Histology ;' the remaining ones are, without exception, 

 drawn from the original specimens. 

 ^^ 5_ — Lagenate spiculum of Gorgonia racemosa (^Plexatira do., Val.) x 300. 

 „ 6.— Attenuato-fusiform spiculum of the same species X 100. 

 ^^ 7^ 8_ — Arcuate and tri-radiate echinate spicula of Gorgonia vatricosa, M. Edw., 

 X 100. 

 9. — Echinato-arcuate spiculum of G. discolor, M. Edw., x 100. 

 „ 10. — Attenuato-echinate spiculum of G. erserta, M. Edw., x 100. 

 „ 11, 12, 13.— Bi-stellate, quadri-partite, and nodular spicula of the same .species, 



X 100. 

 ,, 14. — Echinato-arcuate spiculum of G. arida, M. Edw., X 100. 



15. — Short tuberculate fusiform spiculumof Lophogorgiapalnut, M. Edw., X 100. 

 This form is described in the test as the Leptogorgian type, it being 

 predominant tliroughout Leptogorgia and many allied genera. 

 ^, 16. — The same .spiculum x 400. 



., 17. — Irregular fusiform spiculum of Xiphigorgia setacea, M. Edw., X 200. 

 Ig^ 19. — Irregular fusiform spicula of Leptogorgia vimineo, M. Edw., x 200. 

 20. — Ovato-tuberculate spiculum of Pterogorgin suberosa, M. Edw., x 200. 

 21. — ^Modified Leptogorgian type spiculum of Hymenogorgia quercifolia, M. Edw., 

 X 300. 

 „ 22, 23. — Lateral and front view of scaphoid spicula of Pterogorgia setosa, 



M. Edw., X 200. 

 „ 24, 25. — Scaphoid spicula of Rhipidigorgia flahellum, M. Edw., X 200. 

 '^^ 26. — Spiculum of the same species approaching the bi-rotulate form X 200. 

 ,, 27. — Lagenate spiculum of Verrucella gemmacca, M. Edw., X 300. 

 „ 28. — A modification of the same form X 150. 

 „ 29. — Spiked dumb-bell spiculum of the same species X 300. 

 „ 30, 31. — Acutely and obtusely fusiform echinate spicula of Gorgonia noduUfera, 



Lamk. {Verrucella 'i), x 150. 

 „ 32. — Spiculum of the same species assuming a quadri-partite outline X 150. 

 „ 33, 34. — Tuberculato-fusiform spicula of Verrucella violacea, M. Edw., X 150. 

 ., 35, 36. — Explanato-dentate spicula from the same species x 150. 



37. — Tuberculato-fusiform spiculmn of Gorgonia sanguinolenta, Val., X 150. 

 38, 39. — IMammillated dumb-bell and nodular spicula of Juncella junnea, 

 M. Edw., X 150. 

 ^^ 40.— Bi-partite echinate spiculum of Pterogorgia hetulina, M. Edw., x 150. 

 41, 42. — Bi-stellate and quadri-partite spicula of Juncella elongata, M. Edw., 



X 150. 

 43. — Mammillated dumb-bell type spiculum of Leptogorgia boryana, M. Edw. 



(Juncella), X 150. 

 44 —Attenuate modification of the same type belonging to the same species 

 X 150. 



45. . „ of Juncella caliculata, Val., 



" X 150. With these latter modifications the typical form, Fig. 38, is 



always associated. 



