94 



This ©rder is the most extensive of all and embraces great 

 diversities of form, though a similarity of polype. If other 

 shores are equally productive with our own, and many will 

 be more so, it will have to be divided and sub-divided into 

 small groupes if only for the convenience of study. At pre- 

 sent no alteration is required, the system here adopted being 

 quite sufficient for the convenience of future investigations. 



VESICULARIAD^E. 



Polypidoms horny, fistular, confervoid ; cells vesicular, 

 deciduous, non-operculate. 



VESICULARIA. 

 Generic Character: Polypidoms rooted, confervoid, fistular, 



horny, dichotomously branched, jointed at the divisions : 



cells ovate, disjunct, uniserial and unilateral. Polypes 



ascidian. 



SILK CORALLINE. V. Spinosa. Stem erect, compound, 

 branched dichotomously; cells on one side. PI. xvii., 

 fig. 1. 



Conferva marina cancellata, Raii, Synop., vol. 1, p. 59. 

 Sertularia spinosa, Ellis and Solander's Zooph., p. 48. 

 Stewart's Elem., vol. 2, p. 446. Silk Coralline, Ellis' Coral., 

 p. 20, pi. ix., fig. 17, B. Sertularia spinosa, Turton's Lin., 

 vol. 4, p. 682. Laomedea spinosa, Lamouroux's Cor. Flex., 

 p. 208. Templeton in Mag. Nat. Hist, vol. 9, p. 466. V. 

 spinosa, Fleming's Brit. An., p. 551. 



Hab. On corallines from deep water, off the Deadman, 

 rare. 



Confervoid, horny, fistular, and of a semi-transparent 

 membranous texture ; branched ; branches long and zig-zag, 

 slender and jointed. It is erect, slender and varies in height 

 to eight inches. Cells three on each internode, deciduous ; 

 their situations in dried specimens are marked by round 

 apertures. Polypes with eight ciliated tentacula. 

 SERIALARIA. Lamarck. 



Generic Character: Polypidom confervoid, horny, the 

 shoots slender, filiform, fistular, and branched ; cells tu- 

 bulous, uniserial, and unilateral, disposed in close parallel 

 companies at regular intervals ; polypes aseidian. 



NIT CORALLINE. S. Lendigera. Polypidom delicate, 

 branched, spreading; cells in isolated groups, arranged 

 parallel to each other, with waved patulous apertures. 

 PI. xvi., fig. 4, 5. 



Fucoides lendigerum capillaraentis Cuscutas instar implexis, 

 Staii, Synop., p. 38. Nit Coralline, Ellis' Coral., p. 27, 



