MARINE BIOLOGICAL STATION AT PORT ERIN. 



59 



" Professor Hickson, in a letter just received, asks me, if 

 possible, to observe phosphorescence of the other British 

 Pennatulid, Virgularia mirabilis. I have not yet succeeded in 

 dredging Virgularia here, but it ought to be found in these 

 waters, and probably when examined alive in the dark will show 

 some degree of phosphorescence like its two relations referred 

 to above. 



" We have been able to get detailed colour notes of the 

 living Funiculina, and some photographs of polypes extended 

 to nearly an inch in length, which we hope may be useful. — 

 W. A. Herdman. S.Y.' Runa,' Loch Sunart, N.B., Julv 26th." 



Fig. 17. — Polypes of Funiculina a uadr angular is , expanded in Sea-water. 



[Photo, by Prof. E. Newstead. 



Figure 16 shows the elongated cane-like colonies of 

 Funiculina. Figure 17 is from a photograph, taken by 

 Professor Newstead of the expanded polypes of Funiculina, as 

 seen in a glass tube filled with sea-water ; and fig. 18 shows 

 similarly a photograph of some fine specimens of Pennatula, 

 fully expanded in a jar of sea-water. Curiously enough when 

 we did find Virgularia it showed no phosphorescence whatever 

 when treated in the same way as small colonies of Funiculina 

 which were dredged at the same time. My answer then to 

 Professor Hickson's question is — that Virgularia mirabilis of 

 our seas is not luminous. 



