236 



MR. S. O. KID LEY ON ALC YON ARIA 



long, slightly elavate at ends. Anastomosis exceptional. Base 

 spreading (about f inch across in the single specimen). Stem 

 and branches cylindrical. Stem about 4 millim. thick, terminal 

 pinnae about 1*75 to 225 millim. thick below their terminal 

 enlargement. Cortex firm, pale umber-brown, sprinkled with 

 the black verrucae ; minutely granular, of thickness of tissue-paper 

 on stem, about *5 millim. thick on terminal pinnae. Verrucae 

 strongly elongate in the direction of the axis of the branch, 

 opening flush with the surface on the terminal pinnae, on main 

 branches often forming slightly elevated rings, about 1 diameter 

 apart in the terminal pinnae, increasingly scattered towards the 

 stem (about 2-4 diameters apart) ; long diameter about 5 to '75 

 millim. ; equally distriouted all round the axes. 



Horny axis very dark brown, hard and wiry, imperfectly 

 flexible ; near the ends of the pinnae provided with wide central 

 cavity. 



Spicules (the measurements here include the tubercles). — 

 Exact distribution in corallum not certainly made out # ; the 

 following chief types occur: — (1) Short, thick, cylindrical, with 

 rounded ends, densely covered with rather small, low, blunt, broad 

 tubercles, much roughened minutely ; size about '14 to '18 by '07 

 to *1 millim. (2) Cylindrical, with two more or less distinctly 

 marked whorls of tubercles, each whorl made up of about 5 

 tubercles ; it terminates in one or two tubercles, or an expansion 

 resembling a large tubercle, at each end; shaft cylindrical, about 

 •026 millim. thick, with slight median bare space ; tubercles 

 about '026 millim. high and broad, fungiform, proliferating into 

 a number of secondary rounded tubercles, giving a beautifully 

 filigreed appearance to the spicule ; total size of spicule about 

 •12 by '007 millim. (3) Cylindrical, with two whorls of rough- 

 hewn, broad, simple, and angular or knobbed tubercles, more or 

 less definitely arranged in two whorls of about 4 each, and 

 terminal ones; no distinct median bare space, and often no distinct 

 terminal tubercles, or these, if present, low r and crowded up 

 kgaiost those of the whorls; proportions of spicule and its parts 

 aboul same aa those of (2). (4) Cylindrical, almost truncate at 

 the ends, hence with suboblong or irregular, slightly constricted 

 outline, cither bare, with an irregular roughly-hewn look, or beset 



* The coloration of the interHt.il ial soft matter, combined with tho absence 

 of colour in the spicules, rendered it impossible in the timo at my disposal to 

 jiHCf-rtain ibis point as usual from rough sections and teased specimens. 



