858 THOMSON AND RITCHIE ON THE ALCYONARIANS 
preponderate towards the side more remote from the main axis. The first main 
branch is 150 mm. in length and 2°5 mm. in breadth. 
Towards the base of the colony a portion of the axis is exposed. It is slightly 
flattened, 3 mm. in breadth, horny, non-caleareous, and very flexible. The colour 
is a rich dark brown, fading into pale brownish yellow towards the tips of the 
branches. There are very marked ‘chambers’ or curved transverse septa. A 
cross section shows a central canal filled with whitish material. 
The ecenenchyma is thick (0°375 mm.) and has a granular appearance, due to the com- 
plete covering of spicules. On one of the branches there is a calcareous cirripede gall. 
The polyps occur on all surfaces of the stem and branches, but are more frequent 
along the opposite sides than along the middle. They are completely retractile, and 
when withdrawn leave small almost circular openings, which are on a level with the 
surface on the older portions, while in the younger parts their margins are slightly 
raised to form lips, giving a warty appearance to the terminal regions. 
The spicules are translucent spindles and scaphoids, almost always curved, and bear- 
ing numerous spines which often equal or exceed the diameter of the spicule proper. 
The spines are generally developed to a much greater extent on the convex side of 
the spicule. They are frequently tubercled or almost branched. Some of the spindles 
are fairly smooth with only a few tubercles. The following measurements were taken 
of the length and maximum breadth including the spines :—0°85 x 0°1, 0°8 x 0:1, 0°75 x 
0°06, 0'7 x 0°04, 06 x 0°06, 0°5 x 0°03, 0°4 x01, 0°3x0:075 mm. As almost every 
possible adjective is already preoccupied as the specific name of some Gorgonia or so- 
called Gorgonia, we have named this new form G. wiightc after Prof. E. PERcEvaL 
WRIGHT, joint-author of the Challenger Report on Aleyonarians. 
Locality.— Station 81; lat. 18° 26’ S., long. 37° 58’ W.; 40 to 50 fathoms. 
Gorgoma studert, n. sp., PIV. fig. 4; Pl. IL. fig. 4. 
A portion of an upright branched white colony, consisting of what may be part of 
the main stem (30 by 2 mm.), bearing on one side two parallel branches from one of 
which a smaller branch arises. The distance between the two parallel branches is 13 
mm. ; the leneth of the longer simple branch is 95 mm., of the shorter 70 mm., and of 
its branch 35 mm. There is an indication that still another branch arose from the last, 
so that branching of at least the third degree is present. The branches, which taper 
almost imperceptibly towards their tips, have a diameter of 2mm. They le in one plane, 
leave the axis at an angle of about 70°, and are slightly compressed in their older 
portions. 
The axis is horny, non-calcareous, and flexible, of a brown colour passing into a horny 
yellow in the younger portions. It shows transverse ‘chambers’ or curved septa. Its 
diameter at the oldest part is 0°8 mm. 
The polyps show a tendency to bilateral arrangement, being more frequent along the 
