276 



TRIBE II.— CARYOPHYLLIACEA. 



The large number of tentacles in the polypes of this 

 tribe allies them to the Astejeacea, and at the same time 

 separates them from the Madeepoeacea and Antipa- 

 thacea. Moreover, while the mode of increase in the 

 compound species, by gemmation of the sides or base, 

 removes them from the former, it affiliates them to the 

 latter tribes. The majority of species deposit a corallum 

 of lime, the calices of which are many-rayed. In compound 

 species, the interstices between the corallites are not occupied 

 by prolongations of the septal plates, but are granulous 

 or porous, or sometimes faintly channeled. The stony 

 plates (septa) are nearly or quite entire, rarely denticulate. 

 Within the corallum the septa are connected laterally only 

 by very distant dissepiments, if at all, never by series ot 

 transverse plates. The stars, in a transverse section, are 

 simple ; the chambers being rarely crossed by dissepi- 

 ments : the calices are very commonly cylindrical, with 

 narrow plates, arranged neatly around, and have often 

 a broad bottom, generally porous and convex (Dana). 



The vast majority of Caeyophylliacea are coralli- 

 genous ; but this statement will not apply to those which 

 belong to the British seas : for of the seventeen species 

 presently to be described, seven are destitute of a corallum. 



So far as I am acquainted with them, the tentacles of 

 our native species (with the exception of Zoanihm) differ 

 from those of our Aste^eACEA, in having the cnidce not 

 lodged in the substance of the walls, but aggregated into 

 masses which form warts on the surface. Most of them 

 have, moreover, these organs terminated with globose 

 heads, destitute of cnidce, but studded with minute hairs 

 (palpocils). 



