112 



is short, stout, round, and frequently distorted into rounded 

 protuberances. The branches are compressed, especially to- 

 wards their terminations. Except the terminations of the 

 branches, the whole of the surface is roughly granular, from 

 the irregular growth of the cells. The cells are urceolate, 

 partially imbedded, and distributed over all parts of the 

 polypidom. The apertures are round, with a notch on the 

 inferior margin and an obscure wave on the superior one. 

 At the termination of the branches the surface is smooth ; 

 the apertures of the cells only appearing. The granular 

 surface is produced by the super-position of cells on the plain 

 first layer. When living, the polypidom is of a delicate flesh 

 colour, which afterwards changes to a dusky brown; and it 

 frequently has a varnished appearance. Borlase, in his 

 Natural History of Cornwall has a characteristic figure of 

 this specses but the figure given by Dr. Johnston is so 

 entirely unlike any specimen of the great number I have 

 procured, that it seems to be a distinct species approaching 

 to Eschara. In this opinion I am supported by several 

 friends to whom I have submitted specimens for comparison 

 with the Doctor's figure. 



C. L^EVIS. Calcareous, dichotomously branched, cylin- 

 drical; cells urceolate, somewhat quincuncially arranged ; 

 apertures round, with a mucro on the outer lip. 



Cellepora laevis, Fleming's Brit. An., p. 532. Johnston's 

 Brit. Zooph., p. 277. 



Hab. On stones, off the Deadman Point, common. 



This calcareous coral attains occasionally the height of two 

 inches, but it is more commonly met with about one. In a 

 living state it is of a reddish flesh colour, or pink, which 

 always fades in death, and sometimes becomes of a pearly 

 white tint. It is stout, slightly compressed, rough and di- 

 chotomously branched. The roughness, which is confined to 

 the branches, is produced by the formation of new cells, with 

 a mucro at the proximal lip. Inferiorly the stem is smooth, 

 the intercellular spaces being filled up with calcareous matter, 

 and the apertures of the cells appear as minute punctures, 

 resembling openings on the terminations of the branches of 

 the Stag's Horn Coral. Superiorly, the cells appear as if 

 thrown on one side, and the apertures are slightly prominent; 

 and this appearance of the lateral declination of the cells 

 is still further increased by the large spine being placed on 

 one side of the median line and leaning externally. 



It is by no means uncommon on stones from deep water, 

 in con pany with C. cervicornis, which it somewhat resembles; 

 but is whiter, more delicate, and less branched. 



