158 ISA L. HILES, B.SC. 



Iii the centre the calcareous matter is white and friable, not having 

 assumed the stony, solid appearance of the oiiter part. 



The basal enlargement is seen also in Plexaura principalis and 

 P. suffruticosa, in the National Collection at South Kensington ; 

 and Kluuzinger, in his ' Korallthiere des Rothen Meeres,' mentions it 

 for Plexaura antipathes. 



The spicules of the cortex are small warty spindles and clubs, the 

 spindles preponderating. They are colourless, and are "17 mm. in length 

 by "07 mm. in breadth. There are also a few small irregular crosses. 



Hab. Funafuti Lagoon. Depth 6-7 fathoms. 



Family GtORGONEllid^e. 



Verrucella granifera Kolliker. (Plate XII., Figs. 1, 2.) 



Syn. Verrucella flabellata Whitelegge. 



There are several fragments of this species. The largest is 170 mm. 

 long ; the stem is 1 mm. in diameter at the base, and remains about 

 the same throughout. At a height of 70 mm. it gives off a branch, and 

 50 mm. farther another branch arises. The branches are about the 

 same thickness as the stem. The whole is whip-like and very flexible. 



The verrucse are numerous, alternate, nearly at right angles to the 

 axis, and about 2 mm. apart. They are "5 mm. high by 1 mm. wide 

 at the base, and bluntly conical in shape. 



The axis is very hard and brittle ; it shows a number of longitudinal 

 grooves. 



The branches end in a small knob, with a laterally-placed polyp close 

 to the apex. The spicules are double stars and spindles of the 

 Gorgonellil type. The warts are compound, and arranged in rings, 

 leaving a median zone free and smooth. The spindles are flat, and 

 many of them have rounded ends. The double spindles are "073 mm. 

 x -036 mm., - 082 mm. x -018 mm. ; the double stars are -036 mm. 

 x -018 mm. 



The colour, in spirit, is pale fawn. 



These specimens seem to approach most closely to Verrucella grani- 

 fera Kolliker (2), except that the spicules are only faintly tinged with 

 yellow. 



V. flabellata Whitelegge (9) seems to resemble Kolliker's form, V. 

 granifera, very closely, the only difference, apparently, being that 

 some of the spicules have rounded ends ; but others, as he figures 



