Mr. J. Y. Johnson on a new Species of Flexible Coral. 143 
and adpressed to the stem. Near the base of large specimens the 
papillee are in three somewhat irregular rows. The other two sides 
of the stem are free from papillz, but there is a slightly elevated line 
along the middle. The base spreads out to a moderate extent upon 
the object to which it is attached. The spicula, of which the bark 
is composed, are tuberculated staves two or three times as long as 
broad, the tubercles having a tendency to collect at the extremities. 
_ The longest example of this coral which I have seen, measured 
about 7 feet in length; and it was without its basal portion. The 
greatest thickness was three eighths gf an inch ; the largest papillee 
were the tenth of an inch in length, and about the same across. In 
another example, 5 feet in length, the base spread out to the size of 
ashilling; and the papillae commenced about 3 inches above this basal 
expansion. The smallest specimen that has occurred was 31 inches 
long; and this has been sent to the British Museum. In the col- 
lection of that establishment there is a large stone with numerous 
specimens of this coral upon it, alongside examples of Callogorgia 
verticillaris, Gray (Primnoa verticillaris, M.-Edw.). These were 
brought from St. Michael’s, one of the Azores, and presented to the 
Museum by Mr. M°Andrew. 
I have ventured to assign this coral to the genus Juncella, Val., 
although a naturalist for whom I entertain the highest respect con- 
siders it to be the Scirpearia mirabilis of Cuvier. There is, how- 
‘ever, so much doubt as to what the coral so named by the illustrious 
Frenchman really is, that I hesitate to ascribe mine to that species, 
the more especially as it clearly falls within the definition of the 
genus Juncella (as it appears in the ‘ Histoire Naturelle des Coral- 
liaires ? of Milne-Edwards, vol. i. p. 186), forming a member of the 
section of Gorgonellacee which is made up of Gorgoniad corals 
having a smooth bark and a sublithoid axis containing so much car- 
bonate of lime as to effervesce in muriatic acid. From Juncella 
juncea, Esper, and J. vimea, Val. (species found at the island of 
Bourbon), it would seem to be distinguished by the large size of the 
cup-bearing papille ; from J. elongata, a Mediterranean species, by 
its being simple, not branched. J. hystrix, J. surculus, and J. ca- 
liculata appear to be names without descriptions. 
- As to the difficulty of identifying Scirpearia, the following passage 
from M. Milne-Edwards’s work, already referred to, may be quoted: — 
**The Alcyonarian described and figured by Linnzeus under the 
name of Pennatula mirabilis seems to be very little connected with 
Virgularia mirabilis as some have suggested. It has a slender stem, 
attenuated at the two extremities, and bearing at each side a simple 
series of widely separated polypes. Cuvier formed of it the genus 
Scirpearia, which has been adopted by Ehrenberg. Lamarck placed 
it in his genus Funiculina, near Pavonaria, under the name of F. 
cylindrica. Fleming thought that the species was not distinct from 
Virgularia ; and Blainville affirmed that it was nothing but a Gor-° 
gonia. None of these opinions seem to me admissible. It is too 
imperfectly known to have a place assigned to it in a scientific clas- 
sification of corals.” —Hist. Nat. Corall. i. p. 214. 
