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question which need not be considered here but the absence of 

 "opera-glass" shaped spicules in the specimen about to be described 

 justifies its position in the genus Corallium, that is, to the genus that 

 includes Corallium nobile the precious coral of the Mediterranean 

 sea and the seas of the Cape Verde islands and Corallium japonicum 

 one of the precious eorals of the Japanese seas. 



Before proceeding to a description of the new species a few words 

 may be written concerning the geographical distribution of the 

 family. Corallium nobile occurs in the Mediterranean sea and off the 

 Cape Verde islands. Some species attributed to the genus Pleuroco- 

 rallium occur off the island Madeira and quite recentlj a specimen 

 of Pseudocarallium jolmsoni lias been dredged off the coast of Ireland. 



Off the coast of Japan occurs Corallium japonicum and several 

 species which would be included on the old system in the genus 

 Pleurocorallium but are referred to the genus Corallium by Kishinouye. 



Isolated specimens of Coralliidae weve also obtained off Banda in 

 200 fathoms, the Ki islands 140 fathoms and Prince Edward Island 

 310 fathoms by the Challenger and there is a doubtful record of 

 a specimen of Pleurocorallium secundum from the Sandwich islands. 

 Fisheries of more or less importance have been carried on in the 

 Mediterranean Sea, off the Cape Verde Islands and off the coast of 

 Japan but there is not, I believe, any historical record of a syste- 

 matic fishery tbr precious coral in any other part of the world. 



In 1901 the value of the coral obtained off the coast of Japan 

 was over £ 50.000 and it is a fact of considerable interest that 

 a large part of this was exported by the Japanese to Italy. 



The coral Fishery of Japan is of very recent growth for in the 

 time of the Daimyos the collection and sale of coral was prohibited, 

 and it was not until the time of the Meji reform 1868 that it 

 began to assume important dimensions. 



That the Japanese of old times valued the precious coral is shown 

 in the numerous "Netsukes" and other ornaments which are decorated 

 with it; but the origin of this coral is not definitely known. 



On many of the Netsukes the coral is represented in the hands of 

 darkskinned fishermen, "Kurombo"; never in the hands or nets of 

 the Japanese. 



Now the art of Japan is quite suraciently accurate to prove that 

 the Kurombo were not Ainos nor Japanese, nor Malays nor Euro- 

 peans; but the curly-hair, the broad noses and other features that 

 are consistently shown render it almost certain that the Kurombo 

 were Melanesians or Papuans. 



The only regions wherc such folk live that have hitherto yielded 



