OF THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. 857 
spines; others are more regular, boomerang-like, with spines and tubercles only ; 
others again are almost smooth with only a few small warts. 
The following measurements were taken :—complex clubs, 0°8 to 0°9 mm. in length 
by 0°45 between the extremes of the spreading heads; broad almost straight spindles, 
06502 mm.; narrow curved spindles, 0°7 x 0°04, 0°5x 0°05, 0°425 x 0:06 mm. ; 
simple forks with few spines, 0°5 mm. in length by 0°1 at the forked end. 
In general the colony presents a remarkably sturdy, rigid appearance, due to the 
thickening effect of the numerous polyps which arise from the flexible twigs and branches. 
The various specimens bear numerous epizoic animals, e.g. small Actinians, Polyzoa, 
worm-tubes. 
This new species may be distinguished from most of the other representatives of the 
genus by the absence of any arrangement of the verruca spicules in longitudinal rows. It 
is separated from all by the characters of its spicules, and in particular by the large 
tuberculate clubs with expanded divaricate heads. From P. ramosa, which it most 
nearly approaches in appearance, and from P.laxa, it may be distinguished, apart 
from the spicules, by the absence of any intermediate part of the stem or branches 
free from polyps. The verrucee are distributed equally on all sides of the stem and 
_ branches instead of being disposed, for the most part, on opposite sides. From P. ramosa 
itis also distinguished by the excezdingly rare occurrence of anastomosis. Some of the 
spicules of KOLLIKER’s P. spinosa closely resemble some of those in our species, but in 
P. spinosa the coenenchyma is very thin, the polyps are rather sparse, and there are 
many other points of difference. 
Localities.—Gough Island, lat. 40° 20’ S., lone. 9° 56’ W.; 100 fathoms; surface 
temperature 55°2°, April 22, 1904. St Helena. 
Family GORGONIDA. 
Gorgoma wrighti, n. sp., Pl. I. figs. 7 and 8; Pi. IL figs. 6 and 9. 
A much-branched, flexible, upright white colony with a general height of 22 
em. by about 10 cm. in breadth. The main stem gives off, about 25 mm. 
above the base, a strong branch which bears long flexible offshoots, and these 
again bear numerous usually simple branches. There are even some branches of 
the fourth degree, and with the base of one of these another branch unites—the 
only instance of anastomosis in the colony. The branches have a fairly uniform 
thickness of 2 mm., and can hardly be said to taper toward the blunt, rounded, or 
swollen tip. The larger branches are very slightly flattened towards their base. They 
all arise at angles rather less than 90°, and the whole system shows a tendency to 
spread in one plane, though here and there a branch arises at right angles to the 
rest. The branches of the same degree are markedly parallel when not twisted out 
of their original direction. There is a tendency in the secondary branching to 
