150 Prof. M'l 11 tosh's Notes f rum the 



Avhich are pale greenish yellow, and the anterior region of a 

 fine reddish hue which tints the cephalic region at the hase 

 of the bianchiffi and passes a short distance along each 

 iilameut. AVhen eggs are present the posterior region is 

 also reddish, the colour of these being of a brighter hue 

 than the front. Two dark eyes occur on the dorsum of the 

 reddish cephalic area. The anterior (thoracic) membrane is 

 more deeply tinted in front than behind. When in full 

 vigour the i)ure white of the calcareous tubes, the scarlet of 

 the anterior region which just projects beyond them, and 

 the pale greenish-yellow fans with their opaque tips make 

 a picture at once beautiful and characteristic. The filaments 

 of the branchiae, when fresh, show under a low power a 

 distinct moniliform arrangement of granular dots in all the 

 British forms along each side — indicating a less developed 

 stage of the more highly organizr-d condition in the Mediter- 

 ranean form — Salmacina adificutrix. These granular masses 

 are situated on the outer aspect of the interpinnate spaces, 

 and are prominent in a face or a lateral view. The tips of 

 the branchiae are in all more or less cylindrical, and under 

 a lens present a whitish opacity. The expanded branchial 

 fan is even more beautiful than that of Alcyonium from the 

 laiger size and greater richness of the filaments and pinnae. 

 The separate filaments are often curved toward the mouth, 

 a] proximated, expanded or drooped on one side, the move- 

 ments in the absence of irritation generally being slow. 

 When touched with a needle, however, the entire fan shrinks 

 into the tube, and though it by-and-hy unfolds it may 

 sharply retract several times spontaneously as if in remem- 

 brance of the contact of the foreign body. The collar is 

 olten folded backward over the tip of the tube when the 

 branchial fan is expanded. A separate branchia retains 

 vitality for a con6i;lerable time and the pinnae move as in 

 the perfect fan, the tip of the filament also bending inward 

 as if carrying out its usual functions, the whole occasionally 

 rolling together like a ball and again expanding. The 

 funnel-like aperture leading to the mouth is richly ciliated, 

 and so with the anal groove posteriorly. Cilia also occur at 

 the bases of the feet. 



Ou arrival at St. Andrews those from Plymouth expanded 

 tleir branchial plumes freely, and after the first two days 

 various examples dropped from their tubes to the bottom of 

 the vessels, and this continued during several weeks. The 

 extruded forms quietly expanded their branchiae on the 

 bottom of the vessels, the filaments bending inward now 

 and then and again being expanded, whilst those with long 



