﻿TUBEECULATE MONTIPOR^. 153 



There can, I think, be little doubt that the specimens here grouped together come very near 

 the coral figured by Ellis and Solander. These authors endeavoured in their drawing to give 

 some idea of the extreme richness of the surface ccenenchyma, while a smaller figure shows the 

 rings of tubercles around some of the calicles. This feature is, however, confined to certain 

 portions of the corallum, and indeed, in some of the specimens is hardly traceable. 



The coral appears to be separated from M.foliosa by the greater thickness and slighter spiral 

 twisting of the leaves, and by the closeness of the surface ccenenchyma, the tubercles, ridges, &c., 

 thickly covering the whole surface. In M. foliosa the surface specialisation is more delicate 

 and sparse, and more of the level ccenenchyma is visible. 



(1) A large, flat, circular mass composed of almost horizontal fronds showing all the 

 characters above described. The rings of tubercles round the calicles are not marked, while 

 the upper faces of the older fronds are thickly covered with excrescences from all heights up 

 to 5 cm. ; small secondary fronds also appear ; from the central fronds, thick knobbed branches 

 10 to 12 cm. high stand upright. (PI. XXIX.) 



a. Mauritius. Coll. de Eobillard. 83. 7. 27. 6. 



(2) A bowl-shaped specimen, composed of four or five fronds distinguishable only at 

 their bases, where they appear to rise separately as conically rolled leaves. The fronds forming 

 the outer rim of the bowl are fairly regular and continuous. The appearance of protuberant 

 calicles is well marked on the inner surface, whUe on the outer surface the calicles stand out 

 in parts as smooth tubes 2 to 3 mm. long. The inner fr-onds are very irregular, twisted, and 

 distorted by excrescences. 



6. Locality not recorded. [Eegister No. 97. 10. 9. 2.] 



(3) Two specimens of a rich red-brown colour closely resembling h. 



c, d. Mauritius. 88. 10. 25. 6 and 7. 



(4) A flat, dish-like growth, from the surface of which arise a great number of jagged 

 pointed branches about 4 inches long, mostly swollen near the top. The sides of these upright 

 processes are covered with long tubercles, but at the top they run into numerous ridges or 

 crests. At first sight this appears to be a very different coral from the above, but on closer 

 inspection it is found to agree in all essential points, the only difference apparently being in 

 the somewhat richer formation of branches, which may be due to some accident of growth. 

 The same relationship between the purely foliate specimens of M. australiensis and M. striata, 

 from the leaves of which a great profusion of branches arise, might perhaps be assumed, but 

 there are in this case no other specimens to form any chain of connection. 



e. Mauritius. 89. 3. 14. 4. 



/. Mauritius (a fragment). 



(5) There is another specimen from Mauritius labelled /oZiosa var., which differs greatly 

 from all the above but yet appears to belong here. The lower dead and corroded portions of 

 the coral are typical, being formed by the fusion of several conically rolled fronds. On the 



