180 W. N. Rice—Animal of Millepora alcicornis. 
ArT. XVI.—On the Animal of cna alcicornis ; by 
WiLLiAM Nort Ric 
THE attention of zoologists was called to the relations of 
Millepora by the announcement of Agassiz in 1858 that ‘‘ Mille- 
ra is not an Actinoid Polyp, but a genuine Hydroid, allied 
to Hydractinia.”* Professor Agassiz figured the animals as 
seen by him, in his Contributions to the Natural History of 
the United States, vol. iii, p. 61. On the evidence afforded 
by a single observation of Mille epora, be proposed to transfer 
to the Acalephe not only that genus, but all the Madreporaria 
Tabulata of Milne-Edwards. Professor Verrill has shownt 
that the latter inference cannot be accepted, and that the Mad- 
reporaria Tabulata form an Lennie and quite heterogeneous 
assemblage. There has much difference of opinion as to 
the soundness of Agassiz’s diholusion in regard to Millepora 
itself, and the extreme shyness of the animals has rendered it 
impossible to accumulate numerous observations. A paper b 
General Nelson and P. Martin Duncan,t contains figures of the 
animals of Millepora alcicornis, as observed by the former 
author while stationed at Bermuda many years ago. he 
figures differ from those of Agassiz in arranging the tentacles 
regularly in whorls of four, and the authors conclude that 
Millepora is probably an Alcyonarian. The arrangement of 
tentacles is certainly quite unusual in the Alcyonaria, admit- 
ting the correctness of General Nelson’s figures. In Novem- 
ber, 1875, a paper by Mr. Moseley of the Challenger Peps 
was read before the Royal Society,§ in which the author 
reported observations on pees at Bermuda and elsewhere. 
The observations seem to have been quite dapormpanhh and 
the author at that time ventured no conclusion from them. He 
was, however, more fortunate at Tahiti; and his paper read 
before the Royal Society in April, 1876 L gives the results of a 
more complete and satisfactory series of observations on the 
vente in question than has been made by any other Berg 
is conclusions agree substantially with those of A 
In the winter of 1876-7, the writer spent some ae in 
Bermuda, residing for A of the time at Flats Village, on 
the shore of Harringt und. The abundance of Millepora 
in the shallow water Por that beautiful lagoon afforded excellent 
opportunity for an investigation of the animals. In this work, 
* This 
Ann. ‘td Mag, Nats His, xvii, cae a 
BB orga Transactions, clxvi, 91; abstract in Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 
ty Phil. Trans., clxvii, 117; abstract in Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., xviii, 178. 
