NO. 1923. DESCRIPTIONS OF PACIFIC ALCYONARIA— NUTTING. 55 



spicules. The spicules at the polyp bases are more crowded and 

 irregular, the whole spiculation being more crowded than in type, 

 almost covering the body walls. Usually, however, there are evident 

 bare streaks between the rows of spicules, the spicules of a given row 

 often imbricating. The rows are extended over the basal parts of 

 the tentacles; but are smaller, irregularly placed, often transverse on 

 the distal parts, some extending lengthwise over the pinnules. 



The stem spicules are more flattened and scale-like, often fitted as 

 in mosaic. 



Color: The proximal part of the stem is dark brown, lightening on 

 distal parts of branches and twigs to a horn yellow. The polyps are 

 white. 



Locality. — Station 4975; Shio Misaki Light, N. 49° E., 7 miles; 712- 

 545 fathoms. 



General distribution. — ^The type is from the coast of Chile, 120 

 fathoms. Sihoga Expedition, East Indies, 822-918 meters. Hawaiian 

 Islands, 280-323 fathoms (Nutting). 



CHRYSOGORGIA AGASSIZII (Verrill). 

 Dasygorgia agassizii Verrill, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 11, No. 1, 1883, p. 22. 



Only a fragmentary specimen of this species was secured, but it 

 shows the essential features as described by Verrill. 



The base is a delicately branching mass of ivory-white rootlets 

 which are purely calcareous. Branches 2/5, in the right-handed 

 spiral. The basal internodes of the branches are much shorter than 

 in the last species, being about 6 mm. long. Intermediate internodes 

 about 5 mm. long, with a single polyp usually nearer the distal than 

 the proximal end of the internode. 



The polyps are less obliquely placed than described by Verrill, 

 although in some cases they assume the erect posture figured by that 

 writer. A typical polyp measures 2.2 mm. in height; body rather 

 slender but expanding at each end, 1.2 mm. broad across tentacle bases 

 and 1.5 mm. across the base of the polyp. The polyp walls are prac- 

 tically covered with vertical spicules that are not arranged in vertical 

 bands of eight, although there is sometimes such a tendency in the 

 distal parts. Double rows of thin, broad-ended spicules extend along 

 the basal parts of the dorsal surfaces of the tentacles. Similar but 

 smaller spicules lie transversely across the distal portions of the 

 tentacles. 



Spicules: These are bar-like with slightly expanded and rounded 

 ends, and are distinctly tuberculate. The coenenchyma is rather thick, 

 white, and contains few spicules. 



Color: The stem is golden yellow and the polyps and branches 

 white. 



