[11] ALBATROSS EXPLORATIONS. 513 



noa l^adifera, thus accurately fixing one of its localities. It is often 

 brought in by the Gloucester fishermen. 



Among the Alcyonacea there were a few interesting forms. One of 

 these, Anthoniastus grandijlorns V. (fig. 12), grows somewhat in the form 

 of a mushroom, with a broad, rounded top and a stout stem, which may 

 either be attached to stones by a flat base, or penetrating the mud it 

 may branch and divide into many curious little bulb-like expansions 

 t-o form an anchorage. When full grown, it becomes large and hemi- 

 spherical, often 4 to 5 inches broad, with a short, broad stem, while a 

 number of very large, flower-like polyps are scattered over the top. 

 Smaller specimens have but few of the large polyps, which are often an 

 inch and a half across the tentacles, but there are many minute zooids 

 on the surface between the polyps. Its color is dark red, or purplish 

 red. It has been dredged in considerable numbers by the "Fish Hawk" 

 in 410 to 458 fathoms, and by the "Albatross" in 858 to 1,395 fathoms. 

 It was also obtained previously, of large size, by the Gloucester fisher- 

 men, from the outer banks off i^ova Scotia. More recently, it has been 

 redescribed from the Norwegian coast under the name of Sarcophyton 

 jpurpureum Kor, & Dan. 



There were also two large species allied to Alcyonium. One of the 

 latter (fig. 13), common in 1,290 to 1,608 fathoms, almost always starts 

 on a joint of Leindisis caryophyllia, but its thin expanding base, after sur- 

 rounding the coi"al, descends deeply into the mud, in a hollow, bulb- 

 like form, firmly inclosing a ball of mud for an anchorage, a habit simi- 

 lar to that of several of the large Actinians. 



There are several species of cup-corals living in deep water off our 

 northern coast. Several of these are large and handsome species. 

 The largest and most common, which we have also taken in considera- 

 ble numbers every year on the "Fish Hawk," in 164 to 787 fathoms, is 

 Flahellum GoodeiY {&g. 14). Ifhas a strongly compressed form, often with 

 flat sides, and is very fragile. Large specimens are often 3 or 4 inches 

 across the longest diameter. The animal is orange, with the lips and 

 tentacles purplish red or brown. A second species of Flahellum {F. 

 angulatum Moseley, fig. 15) was taken last season. It is a beautiful spe- 

 cies, with a broad, cup- shaped calicle, somewhat hexagonal in outline. It 

 was dredged several times this year, in 906 to 1,467 fathoms, and was 

 originally discovered by the " Challenger," off lITova Scotia. The third 

 species is a handsome coral {Garyophyllia communis, fig. 16) of which a 

 number of fine, large, living specimens were dredged in 1,098 to 1,106 

 fathoms. It is narrow, cup-shaped at summit, but terminates in a 

 rather acute base, which is turned to one side more or less decidedly. 

 It was originally described as a fossil from the Italian tertiary formation. 

 Another very fragile cup-coral, interesting on account of its remarkable 

 habit of restoring itself, after being broken, by budding out from every 

 fragment, so that most of the specimens have a larger or smaller frag- 

 H. Mis. 67 33 



