1882.] MR. S. O. RIDLEY ON THE CORALLIID.E. 229 



of it ; the spicule is thus sexradiate. (Varieties of the typical form 

 occur, ill which both the tubercles of the antero-posterior faces may- 

 be on one side ; in this case one of them may be double, or one of 

 them may be subterminal and appear to project beyond the end of 

 the shaft ; or one of them may be wanting, or one may occur in 

 addition at one or both ends ; in the latter case the result is an 

 octo radiate like that of Corallium nobile.) Tubercles short, broad, 

 expanding from their base into fungiform disks, themselves tuber- 

 culate with numerous short, rather blunt, small tubercles. Size 

 (average maximum) 0'7 by 0*53 mm. (ii.) Second form of spicule 

 shaped like an opera-glass, viz. like two short globular bottles 

 attached by their sides ; it consists of two subspherical lobes sepa- 

 rated by a constriction, generally with tubercular excrescences borne 

 on secondary lobes on their surface, and minute tubercles on their 

 surface and edges ; the upper margin of each lobe is produced into 

 a short, strongly tuberculate, handle-like process of variable shape. 

 Generally coloured pale red. Average maximum size: — length 

 (across lobes) 0'6 mm., breadth (from apex of handle to lower extre- 

 mity of lobes) 0*53 mm., maximum thickness of lobe from front to 

 back 0'3.5 mm. (It is practically identical with the similar spicule 

 oi P. johnsoni.^ 



Hub. Said to come from Japan. 



This most interesting form is represented by two portions, perhaps, 

 but not certainly, belonging to the same colony. The long diameter 

 of the present common stem of the larger specimen is 11 mm., the 

 lesser diameter (antero-posterior) 9 mm. ; these thicknesses are 

 maintained approximately for most of the first internode, which is 

 25 mm. long ; probable maxunum lateral spread of branches 60 to 

 70 mm. ; height above present base probably, when complete, about 

 200 mm. 



Mr. Moseley has very liberally presented the specimens to the 

 national collection ; and I am much indebted to him for this oppor- 

 tunity of describing them. They were stated by the dealer from 

 whom he obtained them to have been received from Japan, whence it 

 was said that hundredweights came into the market, which, however, 

 found but little sale. The locality is perhaps correct ; but I have been 

 unable, after diligent search, to find any record, either in scientific 

 writings and travels, or in works of general information, of the occur- 

 rence of any native Japanese coral which was at all likely to belong to 

 the CoralliidcB. To Messrs. Franks and Read, of the Ethnological 

 Department in the British Museum, I am much indebted for informa- 

 tion bearing on the subject. Mr. Franks has in his private collection 

 a number of Japanese carved figures, called in Japan " netsuki," in 

 most of which small dark men of a peculiar physiognomy, not 

 Japanese, are represented as carrying coral, or (though this point 

 is not so certain) as bringing it up from the sea. The coral thus 

 depicted is either of actual specimens of Corallium or consists 

 of carvings apparently representing it. Japanese writings call these 

 men " black men." It is certain that they are not intended for 

 Japanese ; and as the men associated, whether in the ornaments 



