[7] ALBATROSS EXPLORATIONS. 509 



ous species, many of them of great interest. About forty speeies were 

 taken, altogether, belonging to all the principal groups. Several were 

 undescribed, while others are new additions to our fauna, though previ- 

 ously obtained elsewhere by the " Blake " or " Challenger." It was also a 

 source of satisfaction to us that we rediscovered, in larger numbers, the 

 few remaining species that the "Blake" and "Challenger" had dis- 

 covered off our coast, but which the Fish Commission had not previously 

 dredged. 



The Pennatulacea were among those of greatest interest, and of these 

 several fine species occurred, among which were two large and hand- 

 some species of the rare and curious genus Umhellula. lu this genus 

 there is at the summit of the tall, slender stem a close cluster of large, 

 flower-like, deep red, orange-red, or purplish-red polyps, each with eight 

 long, pinnate tentacles. The flexible stem is often 2 feet or more in 

 length, and terminates at the base in a long, hollow, muscular bulb, 

 which serves as an anchor when inserted into the mud. The first 

 known species of this genus was brought up on a sounding line from 

 deep water, off the coast of Greenland, early in the last century, and 

 one of the two specimens was described by Ellis, and the other by My- 

 hus with rude but characteristic figures. These specimens seem to 

 have been lost. From that time it remained unknown until within a 

 few years, and was often a source of doubt and perplexity to the sys- 

 tematists. The modern deep-sea explorations, and especially those of 

 the "Challenger," have brought to light several additional species, and 

 proved that the genus inhabits all the oceans in deep water. But no 

 specimens of the genus had been taken on the l!^orth American coast 

 before last year, though a small one had been dredged in the West In- 

 dies by the " Blake." One of our species appears to be U. Guntheri Kol- 

 liker (fig. 3), first dredged on the other side of the Atlantic by the " Chal- 

 lenger;" the second and more common was apparently new ( U. BairdiiY.^ 

 fig. 2). It differs from the former in having longer and perfectly smooth 

 polyps, with lanceolate clusters of zooids running up between them. 

 It is 2 feet high, with the polyp-bodies over an inch in length. Both 

 occurred in 1,731 to 2,033 fathoms, and sometimes together. The hand- 

 some, small, dark red Pennatula aculeata (fig. 7) has been taken many 

 times, both by the "Albatross" and "Fish Hawk," and often in great 

 numbers, as many as 100 to 200, and in one case 494 specimens in a single 

 haul. Like most of the Pennatulacea it is brilliantly phosphorescent. It 

 ranges from 100 to 1,255 fathoms, but is most abundant between 1.50 and 

 300 fathoms. A much larger and finer species (P. borealis, fig. 8), usu- 

 ally considered rare, but frequently brought in by our halibut fishermen 

 from the northern banks, was dredged several times in 192 to 1,255 

 fathoms. It grows to the height of 18 inches or more, and is often 4 or 

 5 inches broad across the pinnae. Its color is usually bright orange- 

 red, varying to brownish red and to light orange. A large, handsome 

 and very remarkable new species foP which it is necessary to constitute a 



