Dr. J. E. Gray on new Alcyonoid Corals. 



21 



This gentleman, in consequence of his great taste for entomo- 

 logy, has devoted all his spare time to the capture and study 

 of the West-African insects within his reach, and has sent 

 home a collection which, if not rich in novelties, can at least 

 boast several great rarities ; among the latter may be mentioned 

 a fine pair of the handsome Diadema Dinar cha of Hewitson, 

 Myrina Macsa, Hewits., &c. 



VII. — Descriptions of some new Genera and Species of Al- 

 cyonoid Corals in the British Museum. By Dr. J. E. Gray, 

 F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., &c. 



My nephew, Mr. W. A. Smith, sent to the British Museum 

 some years ago a kind of Alcyonoid Coral which he collected 

 in Garden Island near Sydney. 



Telesco Smith ii. 



Coral erect, cylindrical, simple, slightly 

 furcately branched, tubular, cartilaginous, 

 with a thin, hard, crustaceous external 

 coat, smooth below and marked with eight 

 grooves and white streaks. Polype-cells 

 short, subcylindrical, closely adpressed to 

 the side of the stem, with eight grooves 

 radiating from and deeper near the aper- 

 ture. Tentacles and mouth of the polype 

 quite retractile. Polype-cells variously 

 disposed, even on the same stem, some- 

 times opposite on alternate sides of the 

 stem, at others solitary and alternate, and 

 at others there are solitary cells in the 

 series between the opposite ones ; rarely 

 the polype-cell on one side of the oppo- 

 site pair is produced into a short branch 

 bearing cells like the stem ; the lower- 

 most cells sometimes project nearly hori- 

 zontally. 



Hob. Australia, Garden Island, Sydney. 

 (W. A. Smith, Esq.) B.M. 



It grows erect in tufts on shells and 

 stones, 6-8 inches high. 



The genus Telesco may be divided into three subgenera or 

 genera, thus : — 



I. Telesco. — The coral shrub-like, furcately branched from 



Telesco Smith!/'. 



