234 



M E. S. O. EIDLEY ON ALCTONAfilA 



the base strongly ridged in a radiating manner, dull brown ; that 

 of main branches near their origins cylindrical or subcylindrical ; 

 of rest elk-horn-like, viz. strongly flattened *, and near points 

 of division much expanded and hollowed out in the middle, and 

 reduced to a thin sheet, hard, subelastic ; the ends of terminal 

 branches very flexible, commonly shading off from black to yellow- 

 ochre, with very large central cavity, occupying about f of the 

 thickness of the twig in the dry state, about J- the thickness in 

 spirit. Shape, in spirit, cylindrical ; in dry state flat. 



Spicules (measurements excluding tubercles) : — I. Cortical. 

 (1) Foliate (" Blattkeule," Ko Hiker), very variable in form, blade 

 very thick, either single, subcircular, margin slightly undulating 

 to strongly toothed, and either smooth or with one or more strong 

 ridges or elongate tubercles on the face, or with several tooth- 

 like processes in the place of the blade ; handle of two to four or 

 more prongs or more or less amorphous, with good-sized tubercles. 

 Adult spicule about "23 to '27 long by '16 to "18 millim. broad ; 

 those with toothed blade about *21 by '12 millim. Colour 

 ochreous yellow. (2) Fusiform, commonly sharply bent at middle, 

 tapering from centre to fairly sharp points, strongly tuberculate ; 

 median tubercles up to '03 millim. long, rounded, the rest shorter, 

 tending to become pointed; size about *21 by "035 millim.; 

 colour pink. 



Also (?) radiate forms of similar character ; also some perhaps 

 subcortical, small, very variable in shape, bacillar to scale-like 

 or subglobular (?), thickly covered with large tubercles : size about 

 •1 to '18 by "028 to '035 millim. ; colour pale brown. 



II. Spicules of Verruca. — (1) Triradiate &c, two of the 

 arms supporting the body-walls of the zooid, about "25 millim. 

 across, greatest thickness about "035 to '048 millim. (2) Stout 

 linear forms, shaft subcylindrical, tending to fork at one end, 

 pointed at the other, arranged radiately around (?) verrucas ; 

 tubercles rather blunt and minutely roughened ; size up to about 

 '35 by "062 millim. ; colour pale pink. (These are the leading 

 t\pcs ; the range of variation is, however, very great.) 



J lab. King Island Bay. 



Distribution. Ceylon? (jide drawing in coll. Dr. Ondaatje). 

 This is a fine showy species. It is represented in the series 

 before me by two specimens. Of these one is dry ; it measures 



* In Hpirit-npecimcn nearly cylindrical, being filled with a soft material. 

 Cf. Kollik«rr, Icon. Iliatiol. 



