Simpson — A lievmon of the Gorgonellidae. ^63 



dispuiud maiuly in two longitudinal series; but deviations from this type 

 occur, owing in some cases to overcrowding, in others to the anastomosis. 

 The verrucae are usually low and dome-like. The spicules consist of (1) small 

 double-clubs and elongated double-clubs, and (2) long double-spinflles and 

 simple-spindles. These two sets are quite distinct ; but the spindles are not 

 so disproportionate in length to the double-clubs as in most other species. 



Nicclla nioniliforriK'. 

 Colony simple or feebly branched, slender, filiform, and of almost uniform 

 diameter throughout; polyps disposed in two longitudinal series, near the 

 tip in one row, but in the older parts in two or more indefinite rows in each 

 series. The spicules are very characteristic. They include small double- 

 clubs and elongated slender double-clubs : also spindles of two kinds 

 (1) long, slender, spiny spindles, and (2) long, thick, densely warted spindles. 

 The spindles are sometimes more than twice as long as the typical double- 

 clubs. (See figs. 117 and 118.) 



XXXII. NiceUa dichotoma Gray. Fig. 114. 



Scirpearia dichotoma Gray, xi,, p. 481. 



Nicella mauritiana (Gray), xii., p. 40, fig. 12. non Nicella maAiritvaiia 



Studer. 

 Nicella dichotoma Kidley, xxix., p. 130. 



Nicellcb diclwtonuo Thomson and Eussell, xliii., p. 161, PI. vii., tigs. 1 and 5. 

 Nicella laxa Whitelegge, xlix., p. 319, PL xvii., figs. 30-33. 



This species was established by Gray in 1859 under the name of Scirpearia 

 dichotoma. He defined it thus : — " Coral fan-like, in a single plane, irregularly 

 dichotomous. Cells cylindrical, elongated, truncated, in a row on each side 

 of the branches, sub-alternate." Locality. — Mauritius. In 1870 he formed 

 another species, Nicclla mauritiaim, while he gave as a synonym Scirjxaria 

 dichotoma. Since this new species is the same as the older dichotoma, it was 

 unnecessary to give it a new name, although he referred it to a new genus, so 

 that the newer name must give way to the older. The description of Nicella 

 Tiiauritiana is as follows : — 



" Coral fan-like, dichotomously branched ; stem cylindrical, longitudinally 

 striated ; bark thin, pale brown ; cells elongate, cylindrical, longer than the 

 diameter of the stem, ascending, truncated at the tip, placed rather iiTe- 

 gularly, sub-alternate (rarely sub-opposite) on each side of the stem and 

 branches; axis pale greyish-brown." Locality. — Mauritius. 



Kidley in 1882 re-identified the species, and described some specimens 



