VESICULARIA SPINOSA. 513 



\ I;SICULARIA SPINOSA, Linnaeus. 

 Plate LXXIII. figs. 3-7. 



SILK CORALLINE, Ellis, Corall. 20, no. 17, pi. xi. figs. 6, B, C, D. 

 SEKTULARIA SPINOSA, Linn. Syst. ed. 12, 1312 : Ellis $ Sol. Zooph. 48 : 



Lamk. An. s. V. ed. 2, ii. 148. 

 SKIHTLABIA SERICEA, Pall. Blench. 114. 



LAOMEDEA SPINOSA, Lamx. Pol. cor. flex. 208 : Blainv. Actinol. 474. 

 VALKERIA SPIXOSA, Flem. B. A. 551 : Da/yell, Rem. An. i. 251, pi. li. figs. 3, 



3 a. 

 VBSICDLARIA SPIXOSA, J. V. Thomps. Zool. Illust. Mem. v. 98, pi. iii. 



figs. 1-8: Farre, Phil. Trans. 1837, 401, pi. xxii.: Van 



Ben. ' Recherches,' M6ra. Acad. Roy. Brux. xviii. 30, pi. iv. 



fig. 0: Couch, Corn. Faun. iii. 94, pi. xvii. fig. 1 : Johnst. 



B. Z. ed. 2, 370, pi. Ixxii. figs. 1-4. 



Zoarium confervoid, slender, of very delicate texture, the 

 principal and secondary shoots regularly branched, 

 rooted by a fibrous base; main stems overlaid with many 

 capillary tubes, zigzagged, tapering ; branchlets given 

 off from each bend in pairs, which are placed alter- 

 nately on different aspects of the stem, short, much 

 divided dichotomously, the divisions terminating in 

 spine-like points, jointed above each bifurcation. Zo- 

 cecia oval, transparent, rather distant, rising from a 

 circular orifice, with raised rim, three to each internode. 



Polypide with 8 tentacles. 



Height from about 4 inches to a foot. 



HABITAT. On stones, oyster-shells, Corallines, weed, &c., 

 from tide-marks to deep water. 



LOCALITIES. The Nore (Ellis) : Guernsey, Fermain 

 Bay ; South Devon ; Ilfracombe, on weed in rock-pools, 

 and off the Capstone, 810 fathoms ; Menai Straits ; 

 Llandudno; Lytham, Lancashire; Isle of Man; Yorkshire 

 (T. H.) : Liverpool (Landsb.) : off the Deadman, on 

 Corallines, rare (Couch) : S.E. of Yarmouth (Kirchen- 

 pauer) : near Hartlepool, rare (J. Hogg) : Cullercoats, 



2L 



