PEiSTNATULIDA OF THE ME R GUI ARCHIPELAGO. 



279 



Total length of colony 



Length of stalk 



Length of rachis 



Leugth of axis exposed above 



upper end of raehis 



Length of lateral zooid stripe... 

 Length of rachis with immature 



leaves 



Length of rachis with developed 



leaves 



. ,. f lower half ... 

 Diam - ofracbl8 i upper half ... 



Diam. of stalk 



Diam. of terminal vesicle 



Number of immature leaves ... 

 Number of developed leaves ... 

 Number of small leaves at top 



of rachis 



Number of polypes per leaf . . . 



Height of leaf 



Greatest distance apart of leaves 

 Diam. of axis 



a. 



b. 



c. 



Specimen from 

 Amboina, in 

 Berlin Museum. 



598 



775 



945 



523 



Absent. 



200 



290 



101 



585 



568 



635 



422 



13 



7 



20 





42 



65 



42 



24 



280 



260 



330 



215 



263 



243 



283 



183 



4-5 



5 



4 





4 



35 



3-5 





Absent. 



7 



5 



8 



Absent. 



8-5 



Inconspicuous. 



14 



450 circa. 



450 circa. 



500 circa. 



439 circa. 



110 circa, 



85 circa. 



100 circa. 



76 



35 



18 



26 



8 



40 



42 



42 



40-44 



2-5 



2 



1-5 



3-35 



3-5 



3 



3-2 





3-7x3 



3x2-5 



4x3 



3x2-7 



Virgularia prolifera, sp. iiov. (Plate XXIII. figs. 16, 17.) 



Colony slender, rod-like, dark brown or black in colour *. 

 Stalk short, with a very obvious terminal vesicle, often incon- 

 spicuous from contraction, separated by a constriction from the 

 rachis. A well-marked lateral zooid stripe at each side of lower 

 end of rachis ; the lowermost leaves placed laterally, and forming 

 small transverse ridges very closely packed together. Fully 

 developed leaves in upper third of rachis alternating with one 

 another, and slightly overlapping along dorsal surface of rachis; 

 not more than 2 millim. apart. Polypes 22 to 30 in number; the 

 full number present in the immature leaves. Siphonozooids in 

 single trausverse rows at bases of leaves. Axis thick and rigid 

 in rachis ; upper end truncated and projecting beyond soft parts, 

 or merely covered by thin skin ; lower end tapering rapidly, 

 entering the stalk, but not reaching the vesicle ; axis oval in 

 transverse section, and with the surface corrugated. 



We have established this species for 15 specimens from the 

 Mergui Archipelago. Nearly all these are perfect at their lower 



* Dr. Anderson informs us that this dark colour, amounting to blackness 

 in some cases, is due entirely to the action of the spirit in which the specimens 

 were preserved. 



