BED OB PBECI0U8 CORAL. 19 



colour with a white centre. A small pit marks each autozoid. 

 A polychset worm (Eunicid ?) is a commensal in a burrow on 

 the front of the branches, the large examples of which are about 

 300 mm. in height and 30 mm. in diameter. Light-coloured 

 varieties are rare and valuable. Two other species — C. boshu- 

 ensis, Kish., and C. sulcatum, Kish. — seem to be rare. C. elatius, 

 Eidley, on the other hand, is more abundant, and grows to a 

 comparatively enormous size, viz. 100 cm. in height, and about 

 6 cm. in diameter at the base. It is generally red in colour, 

 rarely colourless, and forms one-fifth in weight of the total 

 annual product of Japanese corals. The other forms are C. 

 konojoi, Kish., known by the name of (i shiro-sango," and of 

 considerable size (30 mm. in diameter), and it has a milk-white 

 skeleton with a small reddish centre ; C. inutile, Kish., a rare 

 species ; and C. pasillum, Kish., with a white striated skeleton, 

 and only one example of which has been procured.* The 

 common Japanese coral is readily distinguished from the Medi- 

 terranean species by the white centre of the main stem and 

 branches. This was unknown to Prof. Moseley, who refers to 

 what he considers a remarkable carved jewel of Japanese coral, 

 which is marbled white and red, and is characterized by its 

 greater hardness when compared with ordinary precious coral. 



The history of the coral fishery in Japan is full of interest, 

 since after the interdict of the Daimyo a coral fisher about « 

 seventy years ago secretly carried on his occupation on the 

 Moroto ground with profit, and others followed. After the Meiji 

 Eeform in 1868, when the prohibition was removed, about one 

 hundred boats worked on the Moroto ground, and soon exhausted 

 it, so that only a few boats were observed in 1886. But by-and- 

 by coral was discovered on the Tsukinada ground, and in such 

 quantity that nearly all the coral fishers flocked to it. While 

 the centre of the fishery was thus at Tsukinada some fishermen 

 again explored the Moroto ground, formerly so rich, and it was 

 found that the corals had again re-established themselves in such 

 force that no fewer than one thousand boats soon were busy on 

 it, a sight never since seen in the coral fishery of Japan. If 



* The foregoing abstract of the Japanese corals is from an interesting 

 paper by Prof. Kishinouye in the ' Journ. of the Imperial Fisheries Bureau,' 

 vol. xiv. 1, Tokyo, 1904. 



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