WITHIN THE GENUS BBNDJlONEPHTHYA. 



57 



Text-fie-. 16. 



there included, nor with any otlier Divaricatje approaching this 

 gi'oup. Each of the half-dozen main branches I'amifies iriegularly 

 in a llabellate fashion, but there tends to be a predominance of 

 secondary branches to the one surface, though the surface is 

 richly beset with small, almost sessile bundles of polyps, which 

 also occur all over the cortex. These small bundles may, of 

 course, be young stages of twigs. 



3. Colotcriny. Predominantly of a brilliant red. The cortex 

 is vividly coloui'ed except at the beginning of the polyparium. 

 where it is almost white. On the branches and twigs all the 

 spicules are deep red. 



4. Polyp stalks very short. 



5. Polyps. A somewhat marked feature is the small number 

 (3-6) of polyps in each bundle and the frequency of isolated 

 single polyps. 



6. Polyp spicules. The anthocodial 

 armature consists of 8 strong points, 

 each composed of 2 rough hockey-club 

 spicules rising from a strongly-developed 

 crown of 4-5 practically horizontal rough 

 spindles. A deceptive appearance arises 

 in many cases where the non-retracted 

 state of the polyp brings the crown 

 spicules into a chevron arrangement in 

 a line with the upper pair of what I 

 take to be the point proper. The two 

 hockey clubs, which form a narrow 

 isosceles triangle, are seen in other cases 

 in the normal relation of points to 

 crown, and it may be noted that they 

 are distinctly larger than those beneath 

 them. Between every two points there 

 are usually two intei'mediates. On the whole in anthocodial 

 structure the arrangement is nearest to that of D. cirsium. The 

 anthocodial spicules are almost white, but show a faint yellowish 

 tinge. They are characteristically rough, with relatively large, 

 very blunt tubercles, not densely crowded. 



The supporting bundle is well developed and inclined to be of 

 the sheath type, showing 3 spindles much larger than the rest- — 

 that is to say, a median and two laterals abutted by numerous 

 smaller ones, which show a tendency to be in parallel lines sloping 

 towards the support. The median spindle usually projects for 

 about 0-5 mm., and the two laterals project sometimes a very 

 little. The supporting sheath spicules are spindles often curved 

 and densely covered with short, rounded tubercles. 



7. Other spicules. On the sterile stalk are large, broad, rough, 

 yellowish spindles connected by small inteilocking irregular 

 reddish forms which pioduce an arenaceous appearance. The 

 cortex here bears a variety of spicules, all thickly covered with 

 rather massive, blunt, rough tubercles, sometimes compound and 



D.fiamiHca, sp. ii. 



