694 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dubhn Society. 
as the typical sub-family, the Sagartinze, have numerous perfect — 
mesenteries which bear gonads, as do also the other well-developed — 
mesenteries, this species cannot be placed among them. Nor can 
it be located in Carlgren’s sub-family Metridine in which the chief 
mesenteries are sterile. Both these sub-families possess cinclides. — 
The Chondractininee have only six perfect mesenteries, but 
these are sterile. 
The anatomy of only one or two species of Phellia has been — 
—_—— 
studied. Andres (“ Le Attinie,’”’ 1884, pp. 78, 74) gives diagrams — 
of the general structure of Phellia limicola (Andr.), and quite 
recently Kwietniewski has described Phellia ternatana, n. sp. 
(Zool. Anzeiger, 1896, No. 512; “ Actiniaria von Ternate,” — 
Abhandl. Senckenbergischen naturf. Gesellsch. xxiii., 1897, p. 821); 
and he alludes (p. 827) to P. ambonensis, and P. decora (?), Klunz., 
from Ambon and the Red Sea respectively. 
I have also studied an undescribed species of Phellia from 
Torres Straits. In all of these there are only six pairs of perfect 
mesenteries, and these alone are fertile. The present species 
agrees with the above-mentioned five species in this respect, and 
therefore I have no hesitation in placing it in the genus Phellia. 
In the present state of our knowledge, I consider the presence 
of gonads in the six pairs of primary mesenteries in Phellia, and — 
their absence in the Chondractinine, to be of sufficient importance 
to place that genus in a distinct sub-family, for which Verrill’s 
(1886) name, the Phellins, may very well be retained. 
Kwietniewski considers the Chondractinine as a synonym of 
the Phellinz, which he defines as—“<Sagartians with a cuticular 
covering to body-wall.” For the reasons stated above I do not 
think this definition is sufficiently explicit. 
The PuEeLttinz may thus be defined :—Sagartide with usually 
an elongated column, the capitular portion of which is generally 
delicate and extensile; body-wall provided with a cuticle, but 
without any solid or hollow process, such as tubercles, vesicles, or 
suckers; no cinclides. Tentacles simple, neither very numerous 
nor very long. Only six pairs of perfect mesenteries which alone 
are fertile. The remaining mesenteries are usually feebly de- 
veloped. The retractor muscles are very strongly developed on 
the primary mesenteries. Acontia usually feebly developed, and 
ig 
