Mr. J. Y. Johnson on a ruw Species of Flexible Coral. 148' 



and ad pressed to the stem. Near the base of large specimens the 

 papillae are in three somewhat irregular rows. The other two sides 

 of the stem are free from papillae, but there is a slightly elevated line 

 along the middle. The base spreads out to a moderate extent upon 

 the object to which it is attached. The spicula, of which the bark 

 is composed, are tuberculated staves two or three times as long as 

 broad, the tubercles having a tendency to collect at the extremities. 



The longest example of this coral which I have seen, measured 

 about 7 feet in length ; and it was without its basal portion. The 

 greatest thickness was three eighths of an inch ; the largest papillae 

 were the tenth of an inch in length, and about the same across. In 

 another example, 5 feet in length, the base spread out to the size of 

 a shilling; ana the papillae commenced about 3 inches above this basal 

 expansion. The smallest specimen that has occurred was 31 inches 

 long; and this has been sent to the British Museum. In the col- 

 lection of that establishment there is a large stone with numerous 

 specimens of this coral upon it, alongside examples of Callogorgia 

 verticillarut. Gray (Primnoa verticillaria, M.-Edw.). These were 

 brought from St. .Michael's, one of the Azores, and presented to the 

 Museum by Mr. M'^.\ndrew. 



I have ventured to assign this coral to the genus Juneella, Val., 

 although a naturalist for whom I entertain the highest respect coo* 

 aiders it to be the Scirpearia mirabilU of Cuvier. There is, how- 

 ever, so much doubt as to what the coral so named by the illnstriout 

 Frenchman really is, that I hesitate to ascribe mine to that species, 

 the more especially as it clearly falls within the definition of the 

 genus Juneella (as it appears in the ' Ilistoire Naturelle des Coral- 

 liaires ' of Milne- Edwards, vol. i. p. 186), forming a member of the 

 section of Gorgonellace<e which is made up of Gorgoniad corals 

 having a smooth bark and a sublithoid axis containing so much car- 

 bonate of lime as to effervesce in muriatic acid. From Juneella 

 juncea, Esper, and J. vimea, Val. (species found at the island of 

 Bourbon), it would seem to be distinguished by the large size of the 

 cup-bearing papillae ; from J. elongata, a Mediterranean species, by 

 its being simple, not branched. J. hyttrix, J. eurculus, and J. ea- 

 lieulata appear to be names without descriptions. 



As to the difficulty of identifying Scirpearia, the following passage 

 from M. Milne- Edwards's work, already referred to, may be quoted:— 



" The Alcyonarian described and figured by Linnaeus under the 

 name of Pennatula mirabilia seems to be very little connected with 

 Virgulnria mirabilit as some have suggested. It has a slender stem, 

 attenuated at the two extremities, and bearing at each side a simple 

 series of widely separated poly|)es. Cuvier formed of it the genus 

 Scirpearia, which has been adopted by Ehrenberg. Lamarck placed 

 it in his genus Funiculina, near Pavonaria, under the name of ^. 

 cylindrica. Fleming thought that the species was not distinct from 

 Virgularia ; and Blainville affirmed that it was nothing but a Gor- 

 gonia. None of these opinions seem to me admissible. It is too 

 imperfectly known to have a place assigned to it in a scientific clas- 

 sification of corals." — Hiat. Nat. Corall. i. p. 214. 



