. Alcyonaria G 47 



base; others are slender. Thick "clumsy" clubs and spindles, such as Molander 

 figured and described as characteristic of his glomerata, do not occur. The clubs 

 usually taper gradually to the narrow acute tip and are covered proximally with 

 shorter thorns and small lobes or spinules. With the clubs are much fewer 

 spindles of about the same length, acute at one or both ends, and covered with 

 more or less acute thorny processes (2 h). Some have larger lobes or thorns on 

 one side, which is then convex. Some are intermediate between clubs and 

 spindles. 



Fig. 12. Drifa glomerate Verrill. Ovum and two planulse taken from one of the polyp bodies: one is only 

 in outline. Much enlarged. 



The spicules of the cortex of the branches are of various forms and sizes, 

 and are mostly covered with very prominent, mostly obtuse lobes and irregular 

 prominences (PL XV, figs. 1, a-t), so that they are apt to interlock and cling 

 together in clusters when cleaned. Some of the larger forms are stout, regular 

 spindles, but the more abundant ones, of the larger sizes, are short, irregular, 

 blunt forms (a, b, d, g), many of them being subclavate, like (c, f, h, i); others 

 have a median smooth zone, (j, k); but much greater numbers are much smaller, 

 irregular spindles (m, o), double heads and double stellate forms and other 

 forms with a median narrow naked zone and few relatively high prominences, 

 appearing stellate when seen endwise (q, r, t); many forms occur that are not 

 figured. 



The largest specimen and a small one were taken in Richmond gulf, about 

 three miles from the entrance, east side of Hudson bay, on a bottom of stones 

 and sand, in 25 fathoms, Aug. 27, 1920. The other specimen was taken near 

 the same place, four miles from the entrance, in 10 to 20 fathoms, stones and 

 algae, Aug. 24, 1920, by F. Johansen. 



These specimens agree in form and mode of branching with the Eunephthya 

 flavescens of Molander (his PL 2, figs. 15, 17). The spicules of the latter, as shown 

 by my figures of those from the type of E. flavescens, agree much better with 

 my type specimens than do those that he refers to in his E. glomerata. Those that 

 he figured and described from the latter (his text-fig. 13, op. cit.) are much 

 stouter and thicker, both the clubs and spindles, and the clubs are less evidently 

 club-shaped. His figures of the anthocodial spicules (figures 13, a, b) agree 

 much better with those from the cortex of the branches of my type, not tapering 

 rapidly to an acute end, as they do in his flavescens and in my type. He states 

 that he had examined also the type of Danielssens' flavescens. Danielssens' 

 figures of the entire organism and of numerous forms of spicules are excellent 

 and agree with those of my type. (See my PL XV, figs. 3a-f, after Danielssen.) 



These specimens, like the type, contained eggs and planulse in various 

 stages of development. (See figure 12.) 



Therefore I am convinced that D. flavescens is a synonym of the true glom- 

 erata. The glomerata of Molander is either a strongly marked variety or a 

 distinct species, if the spicules are correctly figured and described. The mode 

 of branching and arrangement of the polyps is essentially alike in both forms, 

 allowing for the unequal effects of strong contraction seen in alcoholic specimens 

 of this and all other species of this family. 



