[From the San Francisco ‘‘ Mining and Scientific Press,’ August 9, 1873.] 
Description of a New Species of Alcyonoid Polyp. 
BY ROBERT E. C. STEARNS. 
At a meeting of the California Academy of Sciences, held on the third day of 
February, 1873, a paper was read by me, entitled “ Remarks on a New Alcyo- 
noid Polyp, from Burrard’s Inlet;” * in which I gave a resumé of the discus- 
sions, notices, ete., in this country and in England, arising from the examination 
by several naturalists, of certain “switch’-like forms, which had been received 
by different parties from the Gulf of Georgia (more particularly from Burrard’s 
Inlet, in said gulf); several specimens of said “ switches” being in the Museuin 
of the California Academy. 
. These “ switches,” or rods, were referred by Dr. Gray, of the British Museum, 
to his genus “ Osteocella,” and by Mr. Sclater’s correspondent stated to belong to 
“a sort of fish ;” but by the majority of scientific gentlemen who had seen these 
“switches” they were regarded as belonging to a species of Alcyonoid Polyp. 
I expressed the belief that they belonged to a species of Umbellularia. 
Ata meeting of the California Academy, held on the evening of August 4, 
1873, Dr. James Blake presented a specimen of the polyp of which these so- 
called switches are the axes, which had been sent to him from the Gulf of 
Georgia by his friend, Capt. Doane. This specimen was one of six or seven 
sent at the same time, all of which were in a tolerable state of preservation, 
though, as might have been anticipated, the more delicate tissues of the polyps 
are somewhat decomposed, and some of the specimens are in some places lacer- 
ated. They all are, however, sufficiently perfect to determine the true position, 
and show that the “switches” are, as was supposed, the supporting stalks or 
axes of an Alcyonoid Polyp “ related or pertaining to the group Pennatulide.” 
On the day after the meeting of the Academy (August 5), through the court- 
esy of Dr. Blake, I was invited to inspect the other specimens, and from said 
examination have written the following description : 
Genus Pavonarta, Cuvier. 
Pavonaria Blakei; n. s. 
Polyp-mass or polypidom, of a flesh or pink color, linear, elongate, attenuate ; 
polypiferous portion about three fourths of the entire length, rounded oval to 
ovate elliptic in cross section, and from three fourths to one inch in greatest di- 
* Vide Proceed. Cal. Acad. Sciences, Vol. V., Part I., pp. 7-12. 
