V. '07. 7 



ORDER PSEUDAXONIA. 



FAMILY BRIAREIDAE. 



Gymnosarca bathybius, Kent. 



S.K. 480. -^Lat., N., 51 23'; Long., W., 11 38'; 468 fms. ; 



temperature at 400 fms., 9'55 C. ; 28th August, 1907. 

 S.E. 483.- Lat., N., 51 37'; Long., W., 11 56'; 610-664 



fms. ; temperature at 550 fms., 8*34 C. ; 30th August, 



1907. 



This interesting species is represented by several broken 

 colonies, which are growing on dead Madreporarian coral 

 Gymnosarca bathybius was taken on one occasion off the coast 

 of Portugal in 500 fms. (Kent, 1870), and its systematic posi- 

 tion has, up to this, remained doubtful. Professor Hickson, 

 in his important paper on the Stolonifera (Trans. Zool. Soc., 

 Lond., XIII., 1894) discusses this species, and on hearing that 

 it had been found among the Irish collection, kindly undertook 

 to examine the specimens. He sends the following pre- 

 liminary note on the species : " It has much the appearance 

 " of a Teles to, but the coelenteric cavities are short and do not 

 " extend into the axes of the upright stems. These stems are 

 "filled up with an immense number of interlocked spicules, 

 " which are very like those of Telesto trichostemma in some 

 "respects. It is certainly not a Clavulariid nor a Telestid, 

 " and may be put, on my authority, in the family Briareidae 

 "of the Order Pseudaxonia." Professor Hickson reserves 

 further particulars on the species until he has made a more 

 detailed study of the specimens. 



FAMILY CORALLIIDAE. 



Corallium Johnsoni, Gray. 



Syn. Pleurocorallium Johnsoni (Johnson P.Z.S. 1899.) 



S.R, 151. --50 mi. W.N.W. of Eagle Island; Lat., N., 54 

 17' ; Long., W., 11 33' ; 388 fms. ; bottom tempera- 

 ture, 9'15 C. ; 27th August, 1904. 



" The type specimens of this species were obtained off 

 " the coast of Madeira. The single specimen obtained by 

 " the Irish fisheries expedition off Eagle Island was a good 

 ' ' deal broken , but it clearly belongs to this species (Hick- 

 " son, 1905). The recent discovery of a specimen of C. 

 ' ' maderense by the Huxley expedition in 412 fathoms in 

 " the Bay of Biscay (Hickson, 1907) and the discovery of 

 ' ' this species off the coast of Ireland are among the most 

 " interesting new discoveries in the geographical distri- 

 " bution of Alcyonaria. The axis is very hard, and will 

 " take a good polish." S. J. HICKSON. 



Note. By an oversight this species was recorded (Hickson, 

 1905) as having been taken off A chill Island in 382 fms. 



