32 



for 1863, p. 166. He describes the axis as greyish-white, 

 whereas it was greenish-bronze in our specimen ; he speaks 

 of the concentric layers of lime amid the black cornein ; and 

 says that the calcareous scales on the bodies of the polyps 

 and the eight oral valvules approximate it to Primnoa 

 lepadifera, with which it is indeed identical. 



It is interesting to notice that Verrill found Primnoa 

 reseda in deep waters at St George's Bank in tlie Bay of 

 Fundy. In the description which he gave in 1866, there 

 are several points which disagree with what our specimen 

 shows. He says : " Trunk large, arborescent, branching in a 

 dichotomous manner, often very thick and stony near the 

 base ; branchlets round, tapering to slender flexible points ; 

 cells large, canipanulate, irregularly scattered." But in our 

 specimen the branching is only irregularly dichotomous, the 

 branches do not taper to slender points, and the cells, though 

 not in whorls or spirals, are closely crowded, and cannot be 

 spoken of as scattered. Verrill also says that " the cells are 

 capable of moving in different directions, but in preserved 

 specimens are generally turned downwards." As already 

 noted, we cannot believe in much mobility of the polyp- 

 calyces. 



Gray's description also leaves a good deal to be desired. 

 He refers to " the large basins or cups of the shape of bent 

 reeds, membranous on the concave side, on the convex side 

 covered with large imbricated overlapping scales. At the 

 mouth of the cup the scales form a ring, and are eight in 

 number, within wjiich, in the retracted polypes, there is a 

 coniform outstanding lid, which is formed out of eight long 

 flat scales. Besides, the polypes at the base of the branches 

 possess eight rows of small calcareous bodies (spicula), and 

 indeed, small out-pressed double clubs, covered with small 

 warts and spines, approaching to simple spicules." He 

 defined the species as " a coral alternately branched, diffused ; 

 bark with crowded, callous, recurved calyces." 



In his diagnosis of the genus Primnoa, Gray says : " Coral 

 branched, tree-like; branches cylindrical, forked. Bark 

 formed of scales. Polypiferous cells ovate, clavate, depend- 

 ent, covered with two series of large convex imbricate 



