ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 239 



and the Holaxonia, are the establishment of a new family of Dasygorgidae 

 (owing to the discovery of some new species of Dasygorgia, and of a new 

 genus, Stropliogorgia, with an unbranched stem), of a new sub-family, 

 PrimnoisidinaB, of which Primnoisis is new, and of two sub-families, 

 Callozostrina? for Prof. Wright's new genus Callozostron, and Primno- 

 eidinaa for Primnoeides g. n. Among the Muriceidae, Muriceides, Antlio- 

 muricea, Clemati&sus, Placogorgia, Perisceles, and Elasma are new. 



Norse Alcyonaria.* — Herr J. A. Grieg describes and figures a 

 number of new Norse Alcyonaria: — Sympodium hyalinum n. sp., Steno- 

 gorgia rosea n. sp., Danielssenia n. g., D. irramosa n. sp., Paramuricea 

 elegans n. sp., Protoptilum tortum n. sp., Stichoptilum n. g., S. arcticum n. sp. 

 The new genus Danielssenia includes corals of Kolliker's Gorgonia 

 genus. The trunk is branchless; the base expanded, adherent; the 

 polyps in single series on each side of trunk ; the polyp-cells low, broad, 

 basally expanded, partly embracing the smooth, round, horny axis ; 

 comparatively thick sarcosoma ; oesophagus and gastral filaments with- 

 out spicules ; the centre coral otherwise abounding in spindles, clubs, 

 and double-stars. The new genus Stichoptilum includes sea-pens of 

 Kolliker's family Protoptilidee. The polyp-cells are sessile, on each 

 side of rachis in two single rows, the outer with full-grown, the inner 

 with rudimentary polyps ; the cells cylindrical with eight inconspicuous 

 spines, the'zooids small, in three single rows, an inner row in the dorsal 

 mid-line, the outer rows on each side of round rachis, calcareous bodies 

 in stalk, rachis, cells, and tentacles. The memoir is accompanied with 

 some beautiful figures. 



Porifera. 



So-called Peripheral Prolongations of ClionEe.j — M. E. Topsent has 

 some remarks on the theory of Herr Nassonow, that the filaments found 

 in shells or stones perforated by Cliona are prolongations of the 

 mesoderm of C. stationis. He finds that these filaments may be wanting 

 in shells attacked by Cliona during the life of the mollusc, and that they 

 are abundant in all old imperforate shells. Eegarded as independent of 

 the sponge, they have often been studied and figured. M. Topsent has 

 recently found them in the valves of Unio, and there seems to be no doubt 

 that they are parasitic plants. 



Structure of Suberites.J — Mr. J. Arthur Thomson describes the 

 histology of Suberites domuncula Olivi (O. S.). After noting the general 

 relations of the sponge to the mollusc shell on which it grows, he 

 describes the ectoderm and small pores, the uniaxial spicules, the ciliated 

 chambers disposed in Vosmaer's fourth degree of complexity, the afferent 

 and efferent canals lying side by side, the multiform connective tissue of 

 the mesoderm, the incipient muscle-cells, and the like. The presence of 

 developing sperm niorulae and ova is also noticed. Special attention is 

 directed to the very varied chromatic contents of the germinal vesicle, 

 which appears to be either multinucleolar, or to have a nucleolus of very 

 complicated shape. 



(2) The author also describes peculiar knob-like capsules formed on 



* Bergens Mus. Aaraberetning for 1886 (1887) pp. 1-26 (9 pis.). 



t Comptea Rendus, cv. (1887) p. 1188. 



% Trans. Roy. Soc. Edin., xxxiii. (1887) pp. 241-5 (2 pis.). 



s 2 



