OF THE MEBGUI ARCHIPELAGO. 



245 



paper), even and smooth, ground-colour pale vermilion. Polype- 

 verruca?, whether closed or open, flush with surface, lemon-yellow 

 in colour, very small (about 3 of a mill i in. when closed), closely 

 aggregated on the cortex (a very narrow bare posterior line 

 being sometimes left). 



Spicules exhibiting a great range of form. The following 

 are the chief types distinguishable : — I. Cortical. 1. Foliate 

 spicule (" Blattkeule," Kolliker), of subquadrangular outline, with 

 several sharp, slender tooth-like leaves, often jagged, but with 

 margins otherwise usually entire, and a low mass of small 

 tubercles representing the "handle" of the usual form of this 

 spicule, which may therefore be described in this case as " very 

 high-shouldered"; size about -07 to '088 long by '052 to *07 

 millim. broad. Colour crimson, ends of the leaves colourless, or 

 almot>t so. 2. Fusifurm, subclavate or irregular spicules of very 

 various proportions, but usually with a slender bo iy and long, 

 rugged, rather distant tubercles; size up to about *18 by '018 to 

 •03 millim., excluding tubercles. Colour pale crimson. Perhaps 

 confined to the neighbourhood of the verruca?. 



II. Verruca- spicules. — 1. Long-handled foliate spicules (Blatt- 

 keulen), with short, usually few, rather wide, jagged leaves, and 

 thick, strongly tuberculate handles ; size up to about *14 by 055 

 millim. (Placed with the leaves fringing the opening of the 

 verruca?.) Colour yellow. 2. Long, graceful fusiform, with 

 moderately-sized rounded tubercles on the convex side ; >ize up 

 to about '2 by *012 millim. Colour yellow. Forming a ring, 

 overlapping slightly at their ends, round the zooid cavity. 

 3. Cylindrical or flattened, of various shapes, fusiform to irregu- 

 lar, may be curved ; tubercles variable in size, mostly rather 

 simple and rounded; size up to about "14 to '16 by "018 to "035 

 millim. Arranged so as to form triangular segments, forming 

 valves over the zooids. Colourless or (?) faint lemon-yellow. 



Sab. Elphinstone Island. « 



The specimen, which has suffered damage at its margins and 

 extremities, measures about 7 inches high and 8 inches wide 

 and I inch in thickness at base. The originally flat frond has 

 proliferated somewhat, forming two subparallel series of secon- 

 dary fronds. 



In coloration the species resembles that form of M. aurantia 

 which is figured by Esper (Pflanzenth.) as Isis coccinea ) and may 

 be termed var. coccinea ; but the distal internodes in that species 



