860 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
gathered together in irregular patches or masses, that sometimes rise 
with wall-like sides from depths of 12 or 15 feet of water. Such 
patches are covered with a luxuriant growth of coral, and there is 
little or nothing of those sandy flats which I have described in the 
case of reefs that are exposed to the trade-swell. The following 
description of a particular locality may he taken as fairly typical. 
In the shallow depths of a fathom and under at low tide, there 
flourished both massive and branching species of Porites (P. tenuis , 
V., and P. Icevis, D.), three species of Millepora (M. intricata , E. & H., 
and gonagra , E. & H., together with an unnamed flat branching 
species), the singular Rhodorrhcea* lagrencei (E. &H.), and Seriatopora 
pacifica (Br.) and liystrix (D.). Less frequent, though still abundant 
in this shallow water, were the massive corals, Coeloria dcedalea 
(E. & S.), and another unnamed species of the same genus; Favia 
rotulosa (E. & S.), with another species also unidentified; Solenastrcea 
sarcinula (E. & H.); and undescribed species of Goniastrcea and 
Rhodorrhcea. With these were associated Mussa midtilobata (D.), 
and other species of the same genus, Stylophora palmata (Bl.), and 
different forms of Pocillopora and Madrepora. Rhodorrhcea lagrencei 
occurred in level tufted beds of a dark-hrown colour, which were 
traversed by single vertical plates of the undescribed species of 
Millepora , above referred to. I frequently observed the association 
of these two corals in this region. In depths of from 2 to 8 
fathoms, there existed thickets of the branching Porites (P. Icevis , 
D.), which also lived, hut in less profusion, in the shallower water, 
being associated in depths of from 2 to 3 fathoms, with exteusive 
beds of Rhodorrhcea lagrencei , The stout columns of Isopora 
(. Madrepora ) labrosa (D.) were occasionally to he seen at different 
depths. ISTow and then a huge castellated pile of a massive Porites 
rose up from a depth of 12 or 15 feet to within half a fathom of 
the surface. Beds of Alcyonarians encrusting the dead corals were 
interspersed amongst the living corals. A species of Anthelia\ 
occurred most frequently, its stoloniferous base often investing the 
dead branches of Porites Icevis. A pretty Xenia was less common, 
being attached to the same species of Porites , and often to the 
* Sometimes written Rhodarsea. 
+ From a depth of 13^ fathoms I brought np a living fragment of this 
Anthelia. 
