120 Rev. Canon Norman — A Month on 



Vav. 7. flustrt'formts J = var. Elh'srana, Moll. — The variety 

 may or may not have ori^j^inally invested a seaweed ; in the 

 former case the seaweed or hydrozoon having been covered, 

 the zoarium develops free growth and forms flattened branches 

 of greater or less width. The following notes will show wide 

 divergence in the mode of growth of the branches of var. 

 Jliistriformis. 



Form a (PI. VII. fig. 3) exhibits great diflference in the cha- 

 racter of the free branches in the same specimen: some are 

 broad and leaf-like, of twenty to thirty zooecia in width ; others 

 ligulate; others so narrow as at first sight to appear to be 

 round, but closer examination shows an ovate section, they 

 are two or three zooecia wide. These narrow branches are at 

 the base, but the expanded leaves have digitate terminations. 

 The lateral spines are usually sis, sometimes eight ; basal spiae 

 not long on the central ])ortion of the leaves, but produced 

 into a rather long seta on their margins and on the narrower 

 branches. Height 2^ inches, not based at all on a seaweed. 

 Batalden, which is a few miles from Floro, Norway, 1882. 



Form h (PI. VII. fig. 4). A dense bush, composed of a large 

 number of stems springing from one base, and dicliotomously 

 and trichotomously branching; all branches and branchlets 

 flat and narrow, mostly four to eight zooecia in breadth, but 

 occasionally widening before again dividing to fifteen or even 

 twenty zooecia. Armature as in the last, but many cells in 

 tlie wider portion of one of the specimens wholly devoid of 

 spines. Height 2 inches. Bukken, in the Bergen Fiord, 

 1878 [A. M. N.) ; Ostende [Prof. E. van Beneden). 



When visiting the museum at Li^ge in 1892 I saw a great 

 quantity of this form preserved in spirit, some of which, above 

 described. Prof. E. van Beneden kindly gave me. He told 

 me that it was very common on the coast. This is interesting, 

 because Pallas, who wrote his excellent ' Elenchus Zoophyt- 

 orum^ 127 years ago, tells us that this present form was 

 known in Belgium as " Zee-moss," and writes : — " Nullibi 

 abundantiorem novi banc Escharam, quam in Mari Belgium 

 alluente. Sertulariam longissimam, ibidem copiosissimam et 

 magnis acervis stepe in littore conspicuam, in certis tractibus, 

 maxime versus autumnum, totam incrustat, et ab extremis 

 ejusdem ramulis insuper frondescens, elegantissiraas formas 

 assumit, primoque tunc aspcctu Spagnum palustre fere £einu- 

 latur. Sic incrustata^ hujus Sertularit\3 iinmanis vis ineunte 

 imprimis hyome Aim. 17G4 in tota occidontali Belgii ora, a 

 flantibus Auslris cgerobatur, ut in brevi passim spatio, ail 

 onerandum vchiculum sufficere [)otuissit " (p. 51). 



Form c (PI. VII. fig. 5). — Based on a seaweed, from which 



