vui. D,6 Light: Philippine Alcyonaria 437 



thorn making an obtuse angle with the upper portion of the 

 spicule. The spicule coat runs out into 8 points corresponding 

 to the tentacles. In these projecting points and in that portion 

 of the polyp immediately proximal to them, the spicules undergo 

 a still further modification to form typical foliaceous clubs. 

 These spicules make a characteristic figure in the tentacle points 

 with their flattened, ribbed, and spined foliaceous portions 

 turned outward and projecting slightly, and their thorns point- 

 ing inward and downward. The spicules of the stem cortex 

 are capstan-like forms similar to those of the lower portion 

 of the polyp. They form a single closely packed layer with 

 their longer foliated ends outward. The inner stem cortex con- 

 tains very few spicules, those which are present being 4-rayed 

 forms somewhat similar to those of the canal walls, but smoother 

 and smaller, and found usually at the points of junction of 

 the inner stem cortex and the walls of the outermost canals. 

 The spicules of the canal walls are thick spindles covered with 

 large low warts, which bear on their outer surface irregularly 

 spined tubercles. They are sometimes constricted in the middle 

 and graduate into cross-shaped and 4-rayed forms with X-shaped 

 markings on their broader surfaces. The latter are often the 

 more numerous spicules of the canal walls. Scattered among 

 the other spicules of the canal walls are a few small, smooth, 

 4-rayed stars and irregular spiny forms. The large spindles 

 are of about the same diameter as the canal walls, averaging 

 0.23 mm. in length and 0.15 mm. in diameter; the cross-shaped 

 forms average 0.2 mm. in length and 0.15 mm. in breadth, and 

 the 4-rayed forms average 0.19 mm. in greatest diameter. The 

 spicules of the base are similar to those of the canal walls but 

 are more irregular and have larger tubercles on the warts, the 

 tubercles bearing more and finer spines. There also are usually 

 present in the base a few very large thick spindles averaging 

 0.3 mm. in length and 0.2 mm. in diameter. 



The following types of spicules have been noted, and the 

 measurements ' are those of typical examples and were chosen 

 from a large number of measurements made on spicules from 

 the different colonies belonging to this species. 



(a) Polyp spicules: 



(1) Capstan-like spicules: 0.118 by 0.087; 0.1 by 0.087; 0.097 by 



0.06; 0.083 by 0.064; 0.076 by 0.064; 0.076 by 0.09. 



(2) Foliaceous clubs: 0.17 by 0.07; 0.16 by 0.068; 0.144 by 0.044; 



0.133 by 0.057; 0.129 by 0.07. 



' All spicule measurements are in millimeters. 



