Mr. A. II, llassalTs Catiiloi/uc of Irish Zooplnjifs. .i(iU 



jiart rounilod : aiiorture contracted, circular, with a minute spout- 

 like elon£i:ation below ; teeth either three or tour, surrounding- the 

 up]ier half of the aperture : on either side of the small spout-liko 

 elongation referred to, a short blunt proces? is visible. See Plate 

 IX. tig. S.— A. H. H. 



On stones east of King-stown harbour, and at the Giant's Cause- 

 way : not common. 



Memhranipora stellata, Thompson. A sjiecies has been described 

 by Mr. Thompson in the ' Annals of Natural History ' ft)r April 

 1S40, p. 101. under the name of Fhistra or Memhranipora strl/ata. 

 This supjxised species I have ascertained to be merely Memhranipora 

 pi/osa, with the bristle abortive, on an exjianded surface. I wrote 

 to Mr. 'l'homj)son upon tlie subject, at the same time forwarding 

 specimens for examination, and that gentleman's reply was con- 

 firmatory of my opinion. Mr. Thompson was, I believe, the tirst 

 Avho described M. pi/osa to assume the sfellafe form, and to have 

 the cells die-posed in the manner iiulicatetl in the description vi M. 

 stellata. 



Fliistra triiiica/a. — Giant's Causewav. abundant ; but not found 

 ujion the coast of Dublin. 



F. aricularis. This species in a recent state is of a reddish 

 colour, but becomes of a grayish black in drying; this change of 

 colour in drying is, I believe, jieculiar to this species, and the cause 

 of it I am not acquainted with. I have sometimes observed the 

 bird's-head ajipendages (whose motions are so very j)eculiar and un- 

 accountable) described as belonging to C. avicularia, on this species. 

 I now find that this species is very abundant in Dublin Bay. 

 F. lineata. Not uncommon on Patella ca-ri/lca : Bray. 

 F. iuherciilata. Not common : Merrion, Dublin Bay. 

 F. distans. Polypidom encrusting, grayish, calcareous, reticu- 

 lated ; cells oval ; margin broad, having its inner edge slightly cre- 

 nulated ; two short processes are visible at each ujipor angle of the 

 cells. 



I am informed by Dr. Johnston that this species was discovered 

 some years ago by Mr. Bean, but that the habitat of his sjiecimen 

 was unknown. It is on this account, I imagine, that no descrip- 

 tion of it has as yet been given in Dr. .lohnston's 'British Zoophytes.' 

 Dr. Johnston, in a recent letter to me, remarks, " yours is the only 

 native specimen I have seen." From a comparison of specimens of 

 this with Fli/s/ra tiihrrcitlata, I cannot help suspecting that they are 

 in fact one and the same sj)ecies. When at Belfast a short time 

 since, I saw several tine specimens of this species in Mr. Tliomp- 

 sou's cabinet, obtained some time since upon the coasts of Down 

 and Antrim. 



On stones cast of Kingstown harbour : not common. 



F. caniosa. This sjiecies, which is undoubtedly no Fliistra, ought 



to be raised to a generic rank and placed in the family Alcyonidulde. 



Pallas asserts (I quote from memory) that the tentacula vary from 



IS to 30 : this assertion I am not able to verify, having constantly 



Ann. &; Mag. X. Hist. Vol. \n. -' B 



