REPORT ON THE PENNATULIDA. 



the outer ones are the largest, those occupying the central region 

 being rudimentary and papilliform, but all are disproportionately 

 smaller than those of F. quadrangularb:." Dr. Gray* adopts this 

 division, and assigns the name F. quadraiuntlaris to the Scandinavian 

 forms as well as to the Mediterranean ones, distinguishing the Scotch 

 ones, like Verrill, as F. Forbesii. 



The validity of this distinction has been called in question by 

 Richiardi,t and by Kolliker,;]: both of whom distinctly state that 

 F. Forbesii is merely the young form of F. quadrangularii^, and that 

 they have seen specimens from the Mediterranean forming complete 

 gradational series between the two forms. 



The Oban specimens set this question completely at rest, showing 

 that the Scotch forms are not, as Verrill and Gray supposed, all 

 F. Forbi'sii, but that perfectly typical F. quadranfjularia occur side by 

 side with them. The description given by VexTill applies perfectly to 

 the three smaller living specimens obtained by the Society at Oban, 

 but is contradicted on every point by the large specimen, which is in 

 all respects a perfectly typica.1 specimen of the form Funiculina 

 qjiadrangiilaris, erroneously supposed by Verrill and Gray to be confined 

 to the Mediterranean and Scandinavian seas. The point is, perhaps, 

 one of no very great importance, but, inasmuch as unnecessary 

 multiplication of species is a very definite evil, the Birmingham 

 Natural History Society may certainly be congratulated on having 

 established the fact that the Scotch Funiculina is identical with the 

 Mediterranean and Scandinavian forms, and is not a distinct species. 



The large specimen from Oban thus acquires some historical im- 

 portance, as having been the ■ means of proving this identity. Larger 

 specimens even than that dredged by the Society have indeed been 

 previously obtained from Oban, and there can be little doubt that 

 these fully agreed with the Society's specimen ; but of these no 

 complete description has ever appeared, nor are the specimens them- 

 selves preserved for reference, so that the Birmingham specimen, 

 which is now permanently deposited in the Zoological Museum of the 

 Mason College, may uudoulitedly claim the honour of being tlie typical 

 British example of Fuiiicnlina qnadnuigularis. 



4. — Anatomy of the Polypes. — 



The following description of the anatomical and microscopical 

 structure of the polypes is based on the examination of whole 

 specimens and of sections prepared in the manner already noticed. 



The structure of a polype is shown in the series of figures on 

 Plate II. Fig. 10 sho\vs a polype bisected longitudinally along its 

 whole length ; Figs. 12, 13, 14 and 15 represent transverse sections 

 taken at various points of the length ; and Fig. 11 is a more highly 

 magnified section of one of the tentacles. 



* J. E. Gray: Catalogue of the Sea-pens or Peunatularida; in the collection 

 of the British Museum, 1870, pp., 1-2-13. 



+ Kichiardi : " Monoerafla rlella Famiglia dei Peouatularii," Bologna, 1869, p. 66. 

 ; Kolliker: op. cit..-p.iol. 



