SUBORDER ALCYONARIA. 621 



Soft, flexible, ramose; branches numerous, terete, 3 to 4 lines thick, 

 and 6 to 9 long, obtuse ; polyps crowded, tentacles long, very 

 slender. 



Plate 58, fig. 1, zoophyte as it appears expanded, and part unex- 

 panded. 



Feejee Islands. Exp. Exp. 



This species spreads over the rocks, and sends up rather crowded, 

 short and stout branches, which wave with the motion of the water. 

 In this respect it is near the flexilis. The long slender tentacles also 

 moving with the water, give a villous appearance to the expanded 

 zoophyte. The colour was a pale umber. 



15. ALCYONIUM CONFERTUM. (Dana.} 



A. 4" altum, coriaceum, rigidum, erectum, crasse stipilatum 

 ramis superne confertis, brevibus simplicibus aut parce ramosis, tere- 

 tibus, 2-2y crassis et scepius, " longis, apice rotundatis ; spiculis 

 internis confertis ; polypis minutis, %'" remotis. 



Four inches high, coriaceous, rigid, erect, very stout stipitate 

 inches) ; branches crowded above, short and simple, or sparingly 

 ramose, terete, 2 to 2| lines thick, arid about 5 an inch long, rounded 

 at apex ; internal spicula much crowded ; polyps minute, | of a line 

 apart. 



Plate 57, fig. 7, unexpanded zoophyte, natural size ; 7 a, some of 

 Ihe spicula; 7 b, polyp, partly expanded. 



Feejee Islands. Exp. Exp. 



The crowd of short cylindrical branches, mostly a sixth of an inch 

 thick, are supported on a very stout pedicel over an inch in diameter. 

 The colour of the specimen collected was a dull purplish-umber, and 

 the half-expanded polyps appeared brown. The general surface is 

 harsh coriaceous. 



The representation of the Alcyonum amicorum, of Quoy and Gaymard, from Tonga- 

 tabu (Voy. de 1'Ast., iv. 276, pi. 22, figs. 13-15), has some resemblance to the above 

 species, agreeing with it more nearly than with the description given, which is as fol- 



156 



