256 Proceeding!^ of the Royal Irish Academy. 



family Elliselladae placed Juncella, EUisella, along with many others which 

 do not concern us here ; at the same time he re-established the genus 

 Ctenocella, and formed a new one, viz., Yiminella, in the same family. 



The genus Scii-pearia he relegated to a hetei'ogeneous group, which he 

 called the Caligorgiadae, in which he established the genus Xicella, to 

 include his Scii-pearia dichotoma. The following synopsis brings out the 

 general plan in this classification : — 



Family ELLISELLADAE. 



Juncella. — Coral simple, sub-compressed near the base ; branches sub- 

 cylindrical, with a more or less distinct lateral groove, especially at the base. 

 A.xis continuous, opaque, solid, calcareous, hard at the base, white and softer 

 above. Bark, when dry, granular, thin, with numerous series of sunken or 

 slightly prominent polypiferous cells on each side of the stem and branches : 

 J. JHticta. 



Ellisella. — Coral tree-like, furcately branched ; branches spreading and 

 then ascending ; lateral groove very narrow, but well marked ; the rest like 

 Juncella : E. clongaUt ; E. cocciiua ; E. f/cmnuicm ; E. culycidnta. 



CrgsocKLLA. — Coral branched, fan-like, expanded in a plane ; branches 

 with a series of virgate branchlets on the upper side ; lateral line well 

 marked, but narrow : Cptrthuita. 



ViMiNELiA. — Coral simple, elongate, llagelliform. Bark thin ; lateral 

 space broa<l, with a sunken line. Polyps-cells, cylindrical, prominent, in 

 three or four series on each edge of the stem. Axis grey, calcareous : — 



V. juncta = J. vimctu 



V. fl/tgrllmn = J. cxtam and ./. flaffellum. 



V. hi/siri-z = J. hystfur. 



V. Inevis =» J. laevU. 



Family CALIGORGLADAE. 



SciRPKAitiA. — Coral slender (simple or sub-simple), rod-like. Axis 

 slender, cylindrical, hair-like, solid, white, calcareous, attached by a broad 

 liase. Bark (when Ary] thin, smooth, granular, with a series of sub-cylindrical, 

 jwlypiferous cells placed alternately on each side of the stem. Lateral groove 

 indistinct. S. mirnhUis, S./iniiaiUna, S. harhndciuns, S. mondlifo)in,is. 



NicKLLA. — (Joral fan-like, on one plane, branched ; branches forked, rather 

 diverging. Bark smooth, brown. Polyps-cells cylindrical, truncated, diverg- 

 ing from the stem at nearly right angles, mouth open. Axis calcareous, 

 white, solid. N. maurUiatui, 



