THE GORGONIANS OF THE BRAZILIAN COAST. 393 



The larger spicules are small, rather slender, acute, strongly warted, orange- 

 colored double-spindles, with three or four whorls of graded warts on each end. 

 With these are some shorter, blunt double-spindles, with but two whorls of warta 

 on each half; a few roughly warted short spindles; and some double-ro*( t tea, with 

 a single whorl and a terminal cluster of warts. The scaphoids are small? than 

 the longer spindles, with the convex side not very much curved, and souk mea 

 incurved in the middle; some have a few low humps on the back. Tin concave 

 side usually has three pairs of rather large irregular warts. All are orange- 

 colored. 



The longer, slender double-spindles measure 0.12 X 0.03; 0.10 X O.OB; 

 0.09 X 0.02; 0.09 X 0.03; the stouter ones, 0.09 X 0.04: 0.07 X 0.03; 0.06 X 

 0.03; double-rosettes, 0.06 X 0.03; scaphoids, 0.07 X 0.03; 0.06 X 0.03; 0.06 X 

 0.02; tentacle-spindles, 0.06 X 0.01 mm. 



The specimen described above (No. 4f>08) and figured is lighter oran^«* than 

 No. 4507, which is rather orange-red. Otherwise th y agree well. 



The axis is hard and brittle, it is impregnated with fusiform strands and 

 scales of calcium carbonate. It effervesces with acids. In Javelle water it 

 becomes white and shows calcareous deposits, which readily fall apart. 



Mapelle, Bahia. Coll. Richard Rathbun., C. F. Hartt Exped., 1876. Typei 

 Nos. 4507, 4508, Yale Museum. 



Gorgonia gracilis Verrill. 



Pterogorgia gracilis Verrill, Trans. Conn. Acad. Sci., vol. I, p. 358, pi. IV, figs. 2, 2a, 3, 1868. 

 Gorgonia gracilis Verrill, Amer. Journ. Sci., vol. XLVI1I, p. 424, 1869. Hartt, op. cit., 1870, 



PP 



209, 210. 



Plate XXIX, figure 2 (branch of type in natural colors). Plate XXXV, figure 

 5 (branch and calicles of same, purple var.) ; figure 5a (the same, yellow var.). 



This slender branched species was fully described in 1868. It is notal>l< for 

 its variability in color. The most common color seems to be light purple with 

 yellow calicles, but bright lemon-yellow specimens occur, as well as some ame- 

 thyst-colored ones, and others that are mixed yellow and purple. The colors 

 are due to the unequal mixtures of colored spicules; purple, yellow, and white. 

 The axis contains some calcium carbonate and effervesces feebly with acids. 



Common on the Abrolhos Reefs, below low-tide, and sometimes in tide-pools 

 Coll. C. F. Hartt, 1867. 



PHYLLOGORGIA M.-Edw. and Haime, emended. 



Phyllogorgia M.-Edw. and Haime, British Fossil Corals, Introd., p. lxxx,, 1850. 

 Phyllogorgia + Hymenogorgia M.-Edw., Corall., vol. I, pp. 180, 181, 1857. 



Gorgonidse having the intervals between the branchlets and smaller branches 

 filled in, more or less, by flat expansions of the ccenenchyma containing calicles, 

 in the form of pores, and rows of nutrient canals beneath the surface. Axis 

 flabelliform, branchlets free or anastomosing. 



Substance of the axis may be horny or more or less calcareous. Spicules as 

 in typical Gorgonia; scaphoids are present, with double-spindles. 



