FORSTER COOPER—ANTIPATHARIA. 3809 
inserted rather more closely together. The basal part, 10 cm. in length, is without 
branches and is curved back upon itself to afford a hold in the mud. It is flattened from 
side to side in the plane of the branches except for the last centimetre of its length, when 
it is again flattened at right angles to the previous plane. ‘The extreme end tapers to a 
fine point. 
The spines are sharp and conical and grow at right angles to the corallum in eight 
irregular lines. Here and there little groups of two or three spines occur. On the 
upper half of the basal part they are present in four lines; in the lower portion 
they are absent and the axis is smooth except for a roughness at the edges of the flattened 
part, the remains of worn-down spines. 
The polyps are very regular in their arrangement. There is no visible break between 
either the individual polyps or between the three component parts into which each polyp 
is apparently divided. They are confined to the upper side of the branches and to the 
sides of the main axis in the branch plane. 
The anatomy of the polyp is simple in spite of the modification produced by the partial 
separation of the lateral gonad-bearing and the central mouth parts. The moutia is large, 
and in the specimen is of irregular shape owing to distortion by spirit, it seems to be 
lengthened in the direction of the long axis of the polyp. In the oral cone, which is 
situated on the central member, there are the ten mesenteries common to the majority 
of the Antipatharia. Of these there are six primary and four secondary. Two of the 
former lie in the longitudinal plane of the polyp which coincides with the longitudinal 
direction of the branch, and are continued into the gonad-bearing portions. The two 
remaining pairs bound the tentacles into which their enclosed pouches continue. 
The secondary mesenteries are attached to the stomodzum at the top only, and soon 
losing their connection with the polyp-walls, hang down as free septa and finally 
disappear before the end of the stomodzeum is reached. 
The stomodzeum in spirit, and therefore contracted, specimens is deep and continues 
down to near the base of the polyp. In this region the lateral pairs of tentacular 
mesenteries disappear. 
The remaining longitudinal mesentery passes into the gonad-bearing part at each end 
and divides it completely into two halves. 
The ova, of varying size according to the state of sexual maturity, are formed by the 
endoderm of the mesentery. The largest found reach the length of 05 mm. A darkly 
staining capsule surrounds them which is continuous with the structureless lamella of 
the mesentery, which layer they penetrate to undergo their early development. 
The adjacent ova-bearing sections, belonging to two different polyps, are marked off 
from one another by a thick pad of the structureless lamella. 
The histology is normal save that the structureless lamella is rather thick in this 
species. 
No spermatozoa were observed in any of the polyps, and it is probable that the colonies 
are dicecious. 
Locality. Lat. 45° 15’ N., long. 80° 56’ E., 880 fathoms (‘ Investigator’ Collection). 
