A. E. Verrill on Ascidians Jrom New England. 



' of tlie body, the ori- 

 slender, conical, diver- 

 anal tube often bends suddenly outward, 

 tcipei-s siigmiy, auu nas a small square aperture, surrounded by 

 a circle of dull reddish brown. In contraction the tubes are 

 not retracted, but are usually shortened to about one-half their 

 lengtL In life the body, when cleaned, is pale grayish, with 

 an almost transparent integument, through which the convolu- 

 tions of the dark intestine are conspicuous. 



The largest specimens are about 40 of an inch in diameter. 



Eastport, at low-water mark under stones, and off the north- 

 ern side of Treat's Island, in 10 to 20 fathoms, shelly bottom,- 

 Expedition of 1870. 



Molgula pikdaris Verrill, sp. no v. Figure 4, c. 



Body unattached, globular, covered with a thin layer of mud, 

 and when the tubes are retracted, looking like a small soft ball. 

 Integument of the body, when cleaned, very thin, soft, nearly 

 transparent, thickly covered with minute granules, and minutely 

 fibrous, usually concealed by the adhering particles of mud aii(i 

 fine sand, but this can be easily removed. The tubes are naked, 

 smooth, nearly transparent, subconical, slender, nearly as long 

 as the diameter of the body, originating close together, and but 

 slightly divergent, both of them nearly straight ; they can be 

 wholly retracted and their bases are surrounded and connected 

 by a narrow, naked, oval or oblong band, which is usually con- 

 spicuous when the tubes are withdrawn ; in partial contraction, 

 the tubes are conical, subpellucid, reticulated with white lines. 

 The branchial tube is a little shorter than the anal, tlie aperture 

 surrounded by six, acute, conical papillse, and twelve, siniill, 

 dark brownish spots. Anal tube a little smaller, slightly longer, 

 a httle tapering, with a small square aperture, sarrounded by 

 four small lobes and four small, reddish brown eye-s])ots. 



In life the body, when cleaned, is transparent grayish, the 

 dark intestine showing through very distinctly ; tubes greenish 



Diameter usually about -20 of an inch, seldom more than -25 



Eastport Harbor, in 10 to 20 fathoms, muddy, common,- 

 Expeditions of 1864, '68, '70 ; South Bay, Lubec, in 6 fathoms, 

 soft mud, very abundant,— Exp. of 1868 ; Grand Menan, ofl 

 bwallow's Tail, 15 to 20 fathoms, soft mud,— Exp. of 1870. 

 _ Cynthia glutinans Mdller (Kroyer's Naturhistorisk Tidssknft, 

 IV, p. 94, 1842) seems to resemble this species in form and ap- 

 pearance, but if it belongs to Cynthia, or to Glandula where 

 Stimpson refers it, both apertures must be square. G. molhs 

 btimp. must be a closely allied species, if not identical. 



(To be continued.) 



