I 



456 Miscellaneous* 



the Caroline archipelago. The animals are arranged in heads 

 presenting a general resemblance to a fir-cone, and supported 

 upon cylindrical stalks, which, in the specimen described, are 

 about 2\ inches long and rather more than ^ inch thick. The 

 oval spikes, which are sometimes pointed at the apex, attain 

 a length of about 1| inch and a breadth of f inch. The colour 

 of the badly preserved specimen is a dingy yellowish green. 

 The branchial aperture is surrounded by a stellate marking ; and on 

 each side of the endostyle two or three parallel dark lines run 

 down from the branchial aperture ; dark pigment also appears round 



the cloacal aperture. 



The individual animals are 10 millim. (| inch) long, of which 

 about 6 millim. belong to the branchial sac. The latter is of an 

 elongated form, narrowed before and behind ; and its hinder part 

 covers a good deal of the intestine. At the foremost part of the 

 animal is the simple round cloacal orifice. The branchial aperture 

 is placed in the anterior third of the branchial sac ; it is compara- 

 tively large, and surrounded by a very delicate cylindrical mem- 

 brane, often cleft into four parts. Examined from within, the 

 branchial aperture is seen to be surrounded by a frill-like ring, 

 which appears strongly coloured by pigment-granules. Outside 

 this there are eight tentacles, alternately large and small. The 

 short oesophagus leads into a small smooth stomach, the intestine 

 proceeding from which forms a loop to the left of the oesophagus, 

 and bends forwards, passing into the rectum, which is filled with 

 ftecal masses, and may be traced nearly to the cloacal aperture. 

 "Within the loop of the intestine are placed the ovaries and the 

 racemose testes, which consist of about six follicles, each of which 

 opens by a small duct into the common vets deferens, which is 

 traceable along the rectum. Posteriorly each individual animal has 

 a filiform appendage, which passes into the common peduncle, m 

 which it may be traced to a long distance by transverse sections. 

 This appendage is divided by a septum into two parts. The pe- 

 duncle itself consists of a dense tunic-mass, in which the well- 



known large vesicular cells with parietal nuclei are present in great 

 quantity. The individual animals are united by an extremely deli- 

 cate colourless tunic. The individuals seated upon the margin of 

 the peduncle are short-stalked ; and their stalks gradually increase 

 in length towards the middle, thus producing the spike-like form of 

 the colony. 



The caudate larvae lie partly in the branchial cavity itself, partly 

 in diverticula of the body-wall. The embryo is characterized by a 

 peculiarly formed appendage which bears five adhesive glands. All 

 the embryos observed showed indications of branchial hoops. 



At the summit of the common peduncle, where the appendages 

 of the individual animals enter it, there are numerous much- 

 branched diverticula of these ectodermal processes. These bud- 

 foandations form a conical elevation in the middle of the head ; and 

 the development of the buds seems to take place as described by 

 Kowale kyin Didemnum styliferum and Amourouciuin* 



