ALCYONARIA WHITELEGGE. 221 



The capitulum consists of five primary branches from 20 to 

 50mm. wide, 20 to 40mm. high, and from 5 to 8mm. thick. 

 The secondary lobes are from 8 to 30 mm. high, 7 to 25 mm. wide, 

 and from 3 to 7 mm. thick, with broadly rounded apices. 



In another example the primary branches are from 50 to 75 mm. 

 wide, 20 to 50 mm. high, and from 5 to 7 mm. thick, the upper 

 margins having only slight indications of lobes, the central 

 primary branch has nine low rounded elevations, the highest 

 being 10mm. high and about the same in width. 



The autozooids are irregularly disposed from 1 to 5 mm. apart, 

 and are much closer together on margins and apices of the lobes 

 than on the intervening spaces. 



The siphonozooids are numerous, large and visible to the 

 unaided eye, varying greatly as to the number between the auto- 

 zooids ; usually there are two or three to 1 mm. 



The coenenchyma of the sterile stem and of the capitulum is 

 charged with similar spicules, and I have been unable to detect 

 any special dermal layer in the capitulum. There exists a cortical 

 layer of spicules on the barren stem, consisting of small almost 

 smooth clubs with very few tubercles, and some short irregularly 

 shaped spindles with blunt ends. 



The crenenchyma spicules are as follows : 



(1.) Tuberculed spindles with the tubercles in well marked 

 zones. Size -2 by -05, -35 by -1mm. 



(2.) Short, subcylindrical, with from four to six whorls of 

 tubercles. Size -19 by -08, -23 by 1 mm. 



Cortical spicules of the sterile column : 



(1.) Smooth spindles, with a few low rounded tubercles. 

 Size ! by -02 mm. 

 1 (2.) Clubs with smooth tubercles. Size -15 by -03mm. 



The colour in spirits is olive-gray. 



There are two small specimens which differ in being of a 

 delicate greenish-yellow, and the sterile stem is rougher to the 

 touch, but the other characters appear to be the same, and the 

 spicules are indistinguishable from those of the typical form. 



FAMILY NEPHTHYIDJE. 



SUB-FAMILY SPONGODIN.E. 

 SPONGODES PALLIDA, sp. nov. * 



(Plate xii., figs. 7a-c.) 



The colony arises from an encrusting base 15mm. long, 8mm. 

 wide, and from 1 to 2 mm. thick. 



