290 Royal Society : — 



of them were brokeu, in consequence of the extreme fragility and 

 delicacy of the theca. There are no pali ; therefore Sars's termi- 

 nology is not in accordance with the received system. The form 

 was familiar to me from Sogueuza's drawing of a dilapidated Fla- 

 helluin (which is always found broken*) ; and it is now evident that 

 Uhcyathns must give place to FhdieV.um. The species links Fla- 

 hellum to DesmopJiijUiim : it is not known in the recent Mediterra- 

 nean fauna. 



Lopliohelia prolifera, Pallas, sp., is apparently a common coral in 

 the north-western British seas. 



Temperatm'e. 



o 



It was dredged up in No. 5 at a depth of SG-i fathoms . . 48-8 



13 „ 208 „ .. 49-6 



14 „ 173 „ .. 49-6 



15 „ 422 „ .. 47-0 

 25 „ 164 „ .. 40-5 

 54 „ 363 „ .. 31-5 



and also at a depth of from 350 to 600 fathoms in the cold area to 

 the north-west. 



All the specimens show great density of the calcareous skeleton ; 

 and active nutrition may be inferred to have gone on, on account of 

 the repeated gemmation, the large size of the calicos, and the 

 numerical development of the septa. Great variability occurs in 

 the corallites forming a stem ; and the shape of the calicos is very 

 diverse. 



It is very interesting to find some specimens bearing elongate 

 and more or less claviform corallites with the peculiar gemmation 

 of Loplwlidia aathophylUtcs, Ellis and Solandcr, on some portions of 

 their stem, and the usual-shaped corallites of Lopliolidla prolifera 

 on others. 



A separate corallum, which must be referred to Lopliohelia antlio- 

 pjJiyllites, Ellis and Solander, was dredged up at No. 54. 



The variation of the gcmmules of several specimens is sufficiently 

 great to absorb Lopliohelia suhcostata, Ed. & Haime ; for fragments 

 of the corallum of Lopliohelia prolifera exist which possess all its 

 so-called specific peculiarities. 



A careful examination oi Tjophohelia Defrancei, Defranco, sp., from 

 the Messincse Pliocene and Miocene deposits, and a comparison of 

 its structure with the numerous specimens dredged up in the 

 * Porcupine ' Expedition, lead me to believe that it is identical with 

 Lopliohelia prolifera . 



The same identity must be asserted for Lophohelia affinis, Pour- 

 tales, which was dredged up in 195 fathoms off Coffin's Patches, 

 Florida. 



Lophohelia prolifera exists in the Mediterranean Sea and the sea 

 between Scotland and Norway. 



Lophohelia anthophyllitesi?, an East-Indian form; but its absorption 



* Scgueuza, /. c. 



