TIIE TUFT-CORAL. 335 



age : the specimen figured is about ten inches in height, and seven in 

 diameter. 



Ahimal. Undescribed. 



Locality. 



The north-western coasts of Europe : deep water. 



The figure in Plate X. is taken from a noble specimen, 

 undoubtedly British, reduced to half the natural size. I 

 am indebted for the opportunity of delineating it to the 

 kindness of Professor Dickie, of Belfast, -who was at the 

 pains of having several photographs taken from it for my 

 use, and favoured me also with many fragments including 

 perfect corallites. Dr. Dickie informs me that it was 

 obtained from deep water off Skye, in 1852, by means of 

 the deep-sea lines of a fisherman, who presented it to him. 

 He mentions having seen another British example, in the 

 possession of Professor Fleming, the same that the latter 

 exhibited before the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1846. 

 and which had been taken in the previous summer, by 

 fishermen whose lines had become entangled with it in the 

 .sea between the islands of Bum and Eig. This specimen, 

 which weighs six pounds, is preserved in the Museum of 

 King's College, Aberdeen. A third example is alluded to 

 by Johnston, who was informed by E. Forbes that certain 

 published figures of the species " had recalled to his mind 

 a very large specimen in the possession of Dr. Edmonstonc 

 of Orkney." It is to be regretted that we possess no 

 information of the living animal of so fine a Coral, the 

 only British example of the truly dendroid species. 



The name Lopliohelia is formed from \.6<£o9, a tuft, and 

 7/\io?, the sun : q. d. " a tuft of suns," alluding to the 

 radiating plates of the corallites. 



[Acrohelia.] 



Lophohelia. 



[Amphihelia.] 



