V. '07. 14 



''in diameter. The zooids are contracted, but none of 

 " them withdrawn below the surface of the coenenchym. 

 "In the contracted condition they project about 2 mm. 

 "above the surface of the coenenchym. They are 

 " roughly arranged in a spiral manner round the branches, 

 " but several zooids are, as usual, not in the direct line 

 " of the spiral course. They stand at a distance of about 

 "3*5 mm. apart. There is a somewhat irregular collar 

 ' ' of bent spindles round the base of the tentacles and on 

 ' ' the aboral surface of each tentacle a few spindles ar- 

 " ranged en chevron at the base, but distally forming an 

 11 irregular tuft. The spicules of the coenenchym are 

 " very irregularly arranged, and project as small tubercles 

 " from the surface, giving the coenenchym a rough ap- 

 ' ' pearance like sand paper on examination with a magni- 

 fying glass. As is the case with many genera of this 

 "family, the spicules are so very varied in shape and 

 ' ' size that it is difficult to express their general characters 

 "in words and figures. I can recognise, however, three 

 " kinds which are relatively common, and numerous in- 

 " termediate forms which are not so common. The com- 

 " mon kinds are (1) the spindles which, when full grown, 

 " are about '5 mm. in length, and '07 mm. in breadth, 

 ' ' armed with numerous simple and branched tubercles ; 

 '' (2) the clubs, which may be regarded as spindles in 

 " which the diameter and the tubercles at one end have 

 " become enlarged. These clubs are usually shorter 

 " than the full grown spindles, but may be 0'45 mm. in 

 "length. (3) Tripod spicules. These spicules probably 

 " arise by dichotomous branching of one end of a young 

 " spindle. In some cases the three axes are of about the 

 "same length, i.e., 0'15 mm., but in the majority of 

 " forms one axis is much shorter than the other two. 

 " There are many irregular spicules, some intermediate 

 ' ' in character between the three types mentioned , and 

 ' ' others that seem to be quite amorphic , but there are no 

 " spicules of the form know r n as foliate clubs (Blattkeule) 

 " or spiny plates (Stachelplatten)." S. J. HICKSON. 



Additional Records : 



S.E. 277. 50 mi. W.N.W. of Eagle Island; Lat., N., 54 

 17' 30" ; Long., W., 11 34' ; 550 fms. ; 15th Novem- 

 ber, 1905. 



S.E. 504. Lat., N,, 50 42'; Long., W., 11 .18' ; 627-728 

 fms.; temperature at 600 fms., 8*22 C. ; 12th Sep- 

 tember, 1907. 



The specimen taken off Eagle Island is a very young colony 

 growing on a fragment of dead Madreporarian coral. It is 

 only 6 mm. in height, but its spicules agree with those of the 

 larger specimen which was taken in 627-728 fms. This latter 

 specimen is 183 mm. high, and gives off only one branch, 

 which is 67 mm. long. 



