COLLECTED BY DR WILLEY IN NEW BRITAIN, ETC. 501 



The larger of the two complete specimens is 22o mm. high and 90 mm. wide. 



The main stalk is 20 mm. in diameter at the base. The extreme basal part is 

 fairly rigid but the rest of the colony is soft and flabby. There are three branches 

 springing from the base which form small stalks of the same type as the main stalk. 

 The main stalk soon gives off various small branches ranging in length from 10 — 50 mm. 

 These bear small branchlets on which the polyps are so closely crowded as to 

 form spikes. At a distance of 120 mm. from the base is one large branch 70 mm. 

 in length which gives off several secondary branches about 1.5 — Sri mm. long. The tip 

 of the stalk is crowded with small spike-like branches. 



One of the colonies has the basal part missing and is more branched than the 

 other two, the main stalk giving off three large branches which reach to the top of 

 the colony and bear numerous small branchlets covered with polyps. 



There are no polyps borne directly on the main stalk or on the jjrimary branches ; 

 they are all borne in closely crowded spikes on secondary small branches. 



The spikes are from 7 — 10 mm. long. The polyps are non-retractile but bend in 

 towards the branch on which they are borne. They are 1 mm. long ; the heads are 

 "5 mm. in diameter. 



The polyps contain a few irregularly placed spicules, spindle-shaped and bearing 

 a few small spines which have a tendency to become more numerous and larger at 

 the ends of the spicules. They are '6 — 16 mm. long and 03 — '01 mm. broad. The 

 tentacles contain two irregular rows of transversely placed small rod-like spicules. 

 The stalk contains a number of spindle-shaped spicules covered with fairly large 

 conical warts ; some of these spicules are slightly curved and the warts are decidedly 

 larger on the convex side. 



These spicules are 1'02 — '18 mm. long and "18 — '09 mm. broad. 



The stalk also contains some small, four-rayed forms and some very rough, knobbed 

 forms with a small constriction in the middle, so that they look like small dumb- 

 bells with very short shafts, and the heads very irregular in shape and covered with 

 warts. They are "27 — "13 mm. by '21 — '12 mm. The colonies are pale brown colour in 

 spirit. The spicules are colourless. 



Habitat. Straits of Rakaiya, New Britain. Depth, 3 — 4 fathoms. 



The figures given by Haeckel in his "Arabische Korallen" 1876, and Klunzinger 

 (11) of Ammofhea virescens (Sav.) are not by any means alike, but Dr Willey's 

 specimens closely resemble in form the specimen obtained by Haeckel. The spicules 

 correspond with the figures given by Klunzinger (Taf II. Fig. 4). 



Sub-family II. Siphonogorginae. 



12. Chironephthya scoparia, Wright and Studer. 



There are only two small fragments of the ends of branches. The larger is 

 18 mm. long by 2 mm. in diameter and has 10 polyps arranged spirally. The polyp 

 heads (as in Spongodes) are bent down so that the group of long spicules projects 

 beyond the head. Each fragment has three polyps near the apex, one being terminal. 



vv. IV. 67 



