296 Rev. T. Hincks on new British Hydroida. 



pulations. It is also possible that the bundles of fibres with 

 polypes attached are immersed into the sea, so that the leather- 

 corals (which always cover other objects) continue their develop- 

 ment, forming a larger or smaller covering. At all events, the 

 siliceous axis appears to be foreign, and not living. It is an 

 innocent fraud, which became a branch of industry, and which, 

 like the transplanted spur on the head of a living cock, may be a 

 source of silent pleasure to the sentimental speculating Japanese" 

 (Monatsb. Berlin, 1860, pp. 181-182). 



XXXVIII. — On new British Hydroida. 

 By the Rev. Thomas Hincks, B.A. 



The species that are briefly charactei'ized in the following paper 

 will be more fully described and figured in the general history 

 of the British Hydroid Zoophytes on which I am now engaged, 

 and which I hope will soon be ready for the press. 



Subkingdom CCELENTERATA. 



Class HYDROZOA. 



Order HYDROIDA. 



Suborder TUBULARIDA. 



Family Corjmidse. 



Genus Coryne. 



C. vermicularis, n. sp. 



Zoophyte forming dense shrubby tufts ; hydrocaulus smooth, 

 branched dichotomously, of a very light straw-colour and deli- 

 cate texture, wavy, annulated, especially towards the base, the 

 branches and upper portions of the stem often smooth or 

 slightly wrinkled ; polypites of great length (about ^ inch when 

 mature), stout, almost cylindrical for half their length, when ex- 

 tended, and then tapering off very gradually towards the oral 

 extremity ; tentacles in irregular and very distant whorls, rather 

 stout, with large capitula, about twenty-five in number. Repro- 

 ductive sacs borne at the base of the tentacles over the lower 

 part of the body, spherical, shortly stalked. 



Height of the tufts about | inch. 



Distinguished by the great size and worm-like appearance of 

 its polypites and the sparing distribution of the tentacles over 

 the body. 



Hab. Shetland, from deep water. 



