On the ' Porcupine ' -Expedition Madreporaria. 291 



into LopliolieUa prolifera suggests explanations concerning the 

 Cainozoic progenitor, and how it migrated eastwards. 



The relation ^of the recent East-Indian Coral-faunas to those of 

 the European and West-Indian Cainozoic deposits has been noticed 

 and admitted for some years past. 



The Cainozoic Lojyliohelia of Sicily is the earliest form of the 

 genus ; and those which are found in such remote parts of the world 

 as the East Indies, the Florida coast, the Norwegian coast, and the 

 Mediterranean, and which have been determined to belong to differ- 

 ent species, are, from the study of the curious assemblage of variable 

 forms now under consideration, evidently varieties of the old type, 

 Lophohelia proVifera. I have therefore absorbed the old species L. 

 anthophyUites, L. suhcostata, L. afftnis, L. Def ram-el, and L. (jrac'dis. 



Two genera of the Oculinklce in the classification of MM. Milne- 

 Edwards and Jules Haime have always been most difficult to distin- 

 tinguish ; and now the results of the dredging off the north of Scot- 

 land and off Florida and the Havana necessitate the absorption of 

 one of them. 



Amphihel'm and Diphhelia. — The first containing recent species 

 only at the time of the enunciation of the classification just referred 

 to, and the last having fossil species only, were very likely to be con- 

 sidered separate genera. Dipdolielia had species in the Eocene and 

 in the Cainozoic seas. Amphihdia was known to have species in the 

 Mediterranean fauna, and in that of Australia also. Seguenza, how- 

 ever, described some AmiAihelice and Diphhelke from the Sicilian 

 tertiary deposits which were identical so far as generic attributes 

 are considered, the only distinction being a doubtful raggedness of 

 the septal edges. The habit and the method of growth and gemma- 

 tion of the forms were the same. M. de Pourtales dredged up a 

 branching form from off the Havana in 350 fathoms, and from off 

 Bahia Hondo, near Florida, in 324 fathoms, and also in lat. 28° 

 24' N., long. 79° 13' W., in 1050 fathoms (came up with the lead). 

 This he named Dlplolielia profunda. On referring to Segucnza's 

 plates and descriptions* of the fossil corals from the Sicilian Tertiary 

 deposits, there is no difficulty in deciding upon the very close affinity 

 of the species described by Pourtales and Diphhelia Menerjliiniana, 

 Seg., and DijdoJielia Doderleiniana, Seg., fossH forms from the mid- 

 tertiary deposits. 



But on comparing these forms with one exquisitely figured by 

 Seguenza, and which he calls Amplnlielia miocenica, Seg., the generic 

 affinities of all become startlingly evident (tab. xii. fig. lb, Ic, 

 35 & 3c, 02>. cit.). 



The very numerous specimens of small branching Ocidinidce which 

 were dredged up in the ' Porcupine ' Expedition (No. 54, and to the 

 north-west of that spot in the cold area), at a depth of from 3G3 to 

 600 fathoms, present singular variations of structure in the buds and 

 calices upon the same stems. A comparison between them and the 

 well-known recent and fossil AmjyhiheJiu', the fossil and recent 



* Seguenza, /. c 



