ME. C. W. PEACH ON BBITISH POLYZOA. 485 



" about an inch in height . . . stem round, branched, ending with 

 enlarged globular heads, radiated with plates of united vertical 

 cells." Busk has well figured and described it in the ' Annals and 

 Magazine of Natural History,' 2nd series, vol. xviii. p. 36, pi. i. 

 fig. 9, from the coast of Norway ,'and in his ' Catalogue of Marine 

 Polyzoa,' partiii. page 35, pi. xxxi. figs. 1, 2, from Shetland, as Do- 

 mopora ( Defranceia) stellata. His description is, " Zoarium simple 

 or lobed (proliferous) ; cells disposed in twelve to fourteen elevated 

 biserial rays on the rounded extremity of the trunk or lobes." 



It is a variable species, at times rising as a single lobe, crowned 

 with radiating cells on the upper part of the rounded extre- 

 mity ; when this crown is broken off, a funnel-shaped depression 

 is often left, and this then forms the Corymhipora fungiformis of 

 Smitt. 



From this simple state it by successive growths often becomes 

 "proliferous," and thus in appearance branched; the crowns of 

 erect truncated cells are often destroyed, and at times side by side 

 one tip is shorn of its crown of biserial ridges, whilst the other 

 has its decoration perfect. To show how protean it is, I have 

 sent a series of specimens (exhibited at the Meeting) with from 

 one to thirteen of these star-crowned parts, and from which it so 

 well takes its specific affix. On one of the specimens marked there 

 is amongst the raised cells what I believe to be an ovarian vesicle. 

 I have never before seen such noticed on this genus. 



I also send a specimen (likewise exhibited at the Meeting) 

 showing the internal structure, and another rubbed down and 

 placed on glass for that purpose. 



It will also be seen that some of my specimens are splendid ones, 

 better than any I have seen figured ; they give an excellent idea of 

 the size and variety of forms it assumes, and as well how greatly 

 it differs from the real Domopora truncata. 



Defranceia lucemaria. — This pretty cup-shaped Polyzoon I first 

 obtained from sand dredged by Dr. Jeffreys in the Out Haaf of 

 Shetland in 1864. I found but one or two specimens. In 1866 

 I got three or four more in sand, dredged by the same gentleman 

 on the west coast of Scotland. Prom the fishermen's lines at 

 Wick, N.B., I met vnth one or two from about 80 fathoms. Un- 

 fortunately all are more or less rubbed, and they do not show so 

 distinctly as could be wished the characteristic markings, so as to 

 render it positive that they agree altogether with those figured by 



