﻿188 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



XVII. Note on a Large Antipatharian from the Fceroes. 

 By Prof. J. Arthur Thomson, M.A. [Plate XL] 



(Read 24th February 1908.) 



In the summer of 1907 I obtained from Mr George Sim, 

 Aberdeen, a remarkable specimen which had been brought 

 in by a trawler from the north-east of the Feeroe Islands." 

 It was remarkable in being an Antipatharian, for the 

 occurrence of a representative of this order in northern 

 waters near Britain was, to say the least, unexpected. It 

 was remarkable in the second place, because of its huge 

 size, for it stood over a yard in height. I wish to take 

 this opportunity of thanking Mr Sim for his kindness in 

 allowing me to have this interesting specimen for the 

 University Museum. This is indeed but a minor instance 

 of the disinterested way in which the indefatigable and 

 learned author of The Vertehrate Fauna of Dee has placed 

 valuable material, as well as knowledge, at the service of 

 scientific workers in many departments of Zoology. A 

 word of appreciation may also be permitted in reference 

 to the sagacity of the fisherman who recognised that the 

 Antipatharian was " something new," and took the trouble 

 to bring the large specimen home. 



The specimen stands 3 ft. 2J ins. high, and consists of 

 a substantial main stem with more than half a dozen strong 

 branches. It is attached by a broad base (1^ ins. x 1-|- ins.) 

 to a stone which measures 9 x 7 X 3J ins. and weighs several 

 pounds, so that all thought of the specimen having been 

 washed from elsewhere is out of the question. The main 

 stem has for the greater part of its length a diameter of 

 about 8 mm., and its section shows the well-known char- 

 acteristics of " black coral." Five branches which remain 

 fairly complete attain a very considerable length, the longest 

 being almost as long as the main stem (2 ft. 8 ins.). It 

 should be noted that the intact specimen must have been 

 much more than a yard in height, for the main stem is 

 broken off while still showing a diameter of about 7 mm. 



