ALCYONARIA. 293 



There are practically no verrucse. The polyps appear yellowish, and the mouth is 

 seen in most cases as a very precise oval aperture. 

 The red spicules are very variable : 



(1.) Fusiform, pointed at both ends, with distant tubercles ; common lengths are 

 0'2 millim., 0'3 millim., 0'4 millim. 



(2.) Larger fusiform, with tubercles and a few teeth, up to 07 millim. 



(3.) Large and variable " Blattkeulen," often roughly triangular, with a shaft often 

 divided into tubercled branches and a foliar expansion with 2 to 5 teeth ; some 

 measure OT> millim. in length. 



(4.) Irregular stellate forms, with transitions to irregular discs ; 0'2 millim. by 

 0'3 millim. is a common size. 



(5.) Triradiate to hexradiate forms, with transitions to the stellate type. 



The spiculation is not quite in agreement with the description and figures given by 

 WRIGHT and STUDER, but the differences do not seem important. 



Echinogorgia multispinosa, n. sp. Plate VI., fig. 1. 



An imperfect colony, branching irregularly in one plane without anastomosis, 

 11 centims. in height by 6 centims. in breadth. The horny axis measures 3'5 millims. 

 in diameter at the base. Some of the twigs bear galls. The surface of the 

 coanenchyma is finely granular and of a cream-white colour. Verrucse occur mostly 

 on the sides of the branches, and are almost quite absent from the convex surface of 

 the plane of ramification. In some regions they are crowded, almost touching one 

 another, in other parts they are separated by intervals varying from 2 millims. to 

 4 millims. A few spines project slightly round the margin of the verruca opening, 

 and there is an opercular covering with small spicules arranged in eight rays. Under 

 low power the surface is seen to be uniformly covered with what seem to be 

 tuberculate spindles irregularly arranged. When these spindles are examined an 

 extraordinary diversity of form is disclosed. 



(1.) Large tuberculate or spiny spindles, straight or curved, 0'4 millim. in length 

 by O'L millim. in maximum breadth ; some show a prominent spine on one side. 



(2.) Small tuberculate spindles, 0'2 millim. by 0'05 millim. 



(3.) Small almost smooth spindles, 0'2 millim. in length by 0'05 millim. ; 0'3 millim. 

 by 0'05 millim. ; 0'275 millim. by 0'04 millim. 



(4.) Slender boomerangs, 0'35 millim. by 0'05 millim. 



(5.) Irregular tuberculate and denticulate clubs, 0'4 millim. by 0'2 millim. ; 

 0'45 millim. by 0'15 millim. 



(G.) Foliate clubs, - 4 millim. in length by 0'2 millim. at broadest part; 0'3 millim. 

 by 0-2 millim. ; 0'275 millim. by 0'2 millim. 



(7.) Irregularly-shaped warty scales with denticulate margins, e.g., 0'3 millim. by 



