TRIBE I. ASTRjEACEA. 329 



consisting of lobed folia, sometimes subpalmate, intersecting one ano- 

 ther so as to leave between polygonal areas. This structure distin- 

 guishes it from the preceding species, and its small size, form, and 

 vertically carinate surface, from the following.. The carinse are most 

 prominent at or near the summit of the folia. 



18. brevicristata, (Plate 24, figs. 3, 3 a.) A specimen, possibly a 

 young state of the above, has the folia merely short crests a fourth of 

 an inch high or less, arising from a solid base. The crests are carinate 

 as above. The oririmes are very minute, and the stars scarcely half 

 a line in diameter. The specimen is from the Feejee Islands. 



12. PAVONIA DECUSSATA. (Dana.) 



P. subhemispherica, foliis bifrontibus, subtenuibus, late paudlobatis 

 (4~4"), planulatis et erectis, scepe transversim sese intersecantibus (de- 

 cussatim aggregatis] ; umbrina, polypis obsolete, tentaculatis, tentaculis, 

 kete virentibus. Corattum subfr agile, super faie obsolete carinatd; la- 

 mdlis laxis; oririmis sesquilinearibus, subseriatis. 



Subhernispherical, folia bifacial, rather thin, broadly lobed ( to 4 

 inches), planulate and erect, often transversely coalescent or inter- 

 secting one another (decussately aggregated) : colour umber, polyps 

 with the tentacles obsolete, bright green. Corallum rather fragile, 

 with the surface obsoletely carinate ; lamellae lax; oririmes 1J lines 

 long, subseriate. 



Plate 22, fig. 4, corallum, natural size ; 4 a, animals, enlarged ; 4 b, 

 section of a plate. 



Feejee Islands. Exp. Exp. 



The folia are nearly flat and few-lobed, and are so aggregated and 

 united transversely by others, as to form an open cellular clump with 

 subquadrangular spaces among the plates, from half an inch to two 

 inches broad. The largest plate in the specimens obtained was four 

 inches broad and nearly as high, sparingly lobed, with the mar- 

 gin a little curved. The carinae of the surface are barely distin- 

 guishable, and rarely reach the upper margin ; they are seldom seen 

 in young specimens. Small nearly circular plates or folia often grow 

 out as processes from the surface of a large plate. Under the micro- 



83 



