occurring in the English Channel. 483 



In some measure this brief note is a protest against the 

 splitting np of Alcjonarian genera into an unnecessary 

 number of species, and undoubtedly tiiere are other specific 

 names under the genus Oorgonia which do not represent true 

 species. 



I may now shortly refer to one or two other points observed 

 during the course of tliis comparison. It is interesting to 

 find that when a twig of Qorgonia {Eunicella) verrucosa is 

 isolated from the rest of the colony, and left in a well- aerated 

 aquarium, it has the power of living on for some time (for at 

 least a fortnight) apparently in an active condition, showing 

 the extension and retraction of the tentacles. From our 

 knowledge of the powers of regeneration possessed by other 

 members of the Coelenterate Phylum, it is possible that 

 Gorgonia has the power of propagation from twigs which 

 have been broken away from the main colony. 



Another point which I may mention is that the red and 

 white specimens were sexually mature at RoscofE on the 

 20th of August ; this is much later than those of the 

 Mediterranean, which are recorded as being mature in May 

 and June. 



The distribution of Eunicella (^GorgonicL) verrucosa is a 

 wide one in European waters. It has been accurately re- 

 corded at the following : — 



Off the coasts of Devonshire and Cornwall — Mewstone 

 Ledge, very common ; Queen's Ground ; Rame ; Eddystone 

 Ground ; Stoke Point Ground. Usually at a depth of 

 10-20 fathoms. 



Off the coasts of Brittany, common. Off the west coast 

 of Scotland^ rare. Off Marseilles and Nice, the Bay of 

 Naples, the Adriatic and other localities on the Italian coast. 



References. 



Cabus, J. V. ' Prodromus Faunae Mediterranese.' Vol. I. Stuttgart, 



1884, 1885. 

 Koch, G. von. " Die Gorgoniden des Golfes von Neapel." Fauna und 



Flora des Golfes von Neapel. XV. Monographie. Berlin, 1887. 

 . ''Plymouth Marine Invertebrate Fauna." Journ. Mar. Biol. 



Assoc, N. S. vol. vii. No. 2. Dec. 1904. 

 Pbuvot, G. " Essai sur les Fonds et la Faune de la Manche occidentale 



(Cdtes de Bretagne). Compares a ceux du Golfe du Lion." 



Archives de Zoologie Exp^rimentale et Genc^rale. 3^ S^rie. 



Tome V. 1897. 

 Verbill, A. E. ''Notes on Radiata, No. 6," Trans. Connect. Acad. 



vol. iii. p. 386. 



