52 MISS ISA L. HILES ON GORGONACEAN [Jan. 17, 



and Klunzinger, in his ' Korallthiere des Eothen Meeres,' mentions 

 it for Plexaura aniijxtthes. 



The spicules of the cortex are small warty spindles and clubs, 

 the spindles preponderating. They are colourless, and are MT mm. 

 in length by '07 mm. in breadth. There are also a few small 

 irregular crosses. 

 C Hah. Punafiiti Lagoon. Depth 6-7 fathoms. 



Family Gorgonellid.^. 



Vebbucella gbaxifeea KoUiker. (Plate I. figs. 1, 2.) 



Syn. Vermcella flahellata Whitelegge. 



There are several fragments of this species. The largest is 

 170 mm. long; the stem is 1 mm. in diameter at the base, and 

 remains about the same throughout. At a height of 70 mm. it 

 gives off a branch, and 50 mm. farther another branch arises. 

 The branches are about the same thickness as the stem. The 

 whole is whip-like and very flexible. 



The verrucas are numerous, alternate, nearly at right angles to 

 the axis, and about 2 mm. apart. They are -5 mm. high by 1 mm. 

 wide at the base, and bluntly conical in shape. 



The axis is very hard and brittle ; it shows a number of longi- 

 tudinal grooves. 



The branches end in a small knob, with a laterally-placed polyp 

 close to the apex. The spicules^re double stars and- spindles of 

 the Gorgonellid type. The warts are compound, and arranged in 

 rings, leaving a median zone free and smooth The spindles are 

 flat, and many of them have rounded ends. The double spindles 

 are -073 mm. x -036 mm., -082 mm. x 018 mm.; the double 

 stars are '036 mm. x "OlS mm. 



The colour, in spirit, is pale fawn. 



These specimens seem to approach most closely to VerruceUa 

 granifera Kolliker (2), except that the spicules are only faintly 

 tinged with yellow. 



V. fiahellata Whitelegge (9) seems to resemble Kolliker's form, 

 V. granifera, very closely, the only difference, apparently, being 

 that some of the spicules have rounded ends ; but others, as he 

 figures (pi. xvii. fig. 33), have pointed ends, and resemble those 

 of V, granifera. This seems a small difference on which to found 

 a new species, especially when the character is not constant and 

 fouud in all the spicules. In one of the pieces from Funafuti 

 which I examined the spicules are decidedly longer and more 

 pointed than in the other fragments, although in other respects 

 they are similar. This may be due simply to a difference in 

 locality. A slight variety of form and size in the spicules is of 

 frequent occurrence in Gorgonacea, and must not be considered 

 of specific value. 

 gf.) Hab. Funafuti. Depth 40-71 fathoms. Previously recorded 



from the coast of Africa. 



This is another instance of the same species from two widely 



