1911.] Type of a New Family of Alcyonaria. 



197 



tabulse, and in the absence of the pores by which the zooidal tubes are 

 connected in that genus. Whilst hesitating to give any very definite opinion 

 without more thorough investigation, he expressed his belief that the specimen 

 is probably allied to the Helioporidse. 



When the surface of the cap is examined with a magnifying glass, it is 

 ■seen to be pierced by a number of pores about 0*2 mm. in diameter (fig. 2). 

 These pores are irregular in outline, but all of one kind. It is true there 

 are some pores smaller tban the majority, but there is nothing to suggest 

 that the colony was dimorphic, or that anything corresponding with the 

 mesopores of Heteropora were present. When seen in vertical fracture the 

 pores are found to perforate the corallum to a depth of about 1 mm., but 

 instead of being uniform in diameter, as they usually are in tubular 

 corals, they rapidly narrow from above downwards and end abruptly in a 

 blunt conical depression (fig. 3). 



Fig. 5. 



Fig. 3. — Diagram to illustrate shape of tubes of Ceratopora with the long needle-like 

 spicules imbedded in the crystalline corallum. The transverse lines probably indicate 

 lines of fracture. 



Fig. 4. — Portion of one of the walls showing spicules imbedded in crystalline corallum. 

 More highly magnified. 



Fig. 5. — One of the spicules isolated, showing the small tubercles with which it is 

 ornamented. 



