THE ANNALS 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF NATUEAL HISTOEY. 



[FIFTH SERIES.] 

 No. 50. FEBRUARY 1882. 



X. — On so7ne neiv Species of Corals. 

 By Bryce Wright, F.Z.S. &c. 



[Plates II., III., & IV.] 



Of all the Hydroid Zoophytes few are more remarkable for 

 their structure or conspicuous for their beauty of form or rich- 

 ness and variety of colour than the hydrocoralline Stylas- 

 teridse. 



Of one genus of this group, Disfic/>opo7-a, a considerable 

 number of species are now recognized ; but, owing to the 

 fragile texture of the hydrojjhyton and the great depths they 

 inhabit, i. e. 80 to 300 fathoms*, only fragments of some 

 species have been hitherto obtained. After having had many 

 examples under examination, principally those of -Disttchojyora 

 coccmea andZ). vwlacea, I find that these splayed corals rarely 

 attain to any size, 3 or 4 inches being the average height of 

 full-grown specimens. I was therefore much pleased, when 

 examining the extensive and beautiful series of natural-history 

 and other objects collected by Lady Brasscy during the well- 

 known voyage of the yacht ' Sunbeam ' in 1876, to find 

 amongst others two perfect examples, each of an undescribed 

 specieSj new to science, which throw considerable light upon 



* Count de Pourtales, Mem. Mus. Conip. Zoul. Harvard Coll. Cambridge, 

 U. S. A., vol. ii. 



Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 5. Vol. ix. 6 



