Mr. A. Alcock on Calypterinus Allmani. 29 



is not the same as Hood Island. I presume a misunder- 

 standing on the latter point was the cause of Mr. Sladen 

 giving Galapagos Islands as the locality. M. Perrier states 

 that the second specimen he saw in the British Museum was 

 from an unknown locality ; however that may be, there is a 

 specimen from Moreton Bay. So that the localities are not 

 equatorial and eastern Pacificj but subtropical and western 

 Pacific. 



V. — Natural History Notes from H.M. Indian Marine 

 Survey Steamer ' Investigator,^ Commander C. F. Oldham^ 

 R.N.J commanding. — Series II., No. 8. Note on Calypte- 

 rinus Allmani. By A. Alcock, M.B., C.]\I.Z.S., Officiating 

 Superintendent of the Indian Museum. 



In their Report upon the ' Challenger ' Alcyonaria, Messrs. 

 Perceval Wright and Studer describe * in the family Prim- 

 noidm a remarkable new species, Calypterinus Allmani^ from 

 the vicinity of Fiji. The ' Challenger ' specimens are stated 

 to have been fragments about 100 millim. long. 



We have recently on board the ' Investigator ' dredged 

 several fine b/anches, one of them 200 millim. in length, of 

 this Alcyonavian ; and as it is such a beautiful and remark- 

 able form I venture to offer a few observations, complementary 

 of the original description, upon our specimens. 



The axis is branched in either one or two planes ; when 

 in two planes they are at right angles to one another, and 

 the branching in one plane (the lateral) greatly predominates. 



The branches like the axis are quite rigid, and they ascend 

 with a gentle curve parallel to one another to form a lofty 

 compressed rigid umbel or candelabra : they have little 

 tendency to give off secondary branches, but where such 

 exist they arise singly low down near the origin of the pri- 

 mary branch and ascend parallel with it in the same plane. 

 No tertiary branches occur in any of our specimens. All the 

 branches repeat the same gentle curve with the most remark- 

 able uniformity. 



The polyps, as stated by Messrs. Wright and Studer, are 

 disposed in whorls of from four to seven, and they hang head 

 downwards, or downwards and outwards, they having evidently 

 the power of flexion and extension upon the stem. 



* The Voyage of H.M.S. ' Challenger,' Zoology, vol. xxxi. pp. 53 and 

 64, pi. xi. figs. 1, la, pi. xiv. fig. 5, pi. xx. fig. 2. 



