SUBORDER ir,-—ALCYONARIA. 
129 
The following subdivisions of tbe Gorgonidse adopted in this 
work depend on the modes of budding and growth just ex* 
plained, on the nature of the foot-secretions, and the considera- 
tion whether the polyps are retractile or not. 
Subfamily I. CoralliinjE. — Axis inarticulate, solid calcareous; polyp« 
crust fleshy, without coral-secretions. 
G. 1. Cor allium. 
Subfamily II. GoRGONiNiE. — Axis inarticulate, corneous, or semi-solid, 
with calcareous or siliceous secretions ; tissue-secretions forming a persistent 
crust to the axis. 
G. 2. Hi/a!onema.— Axis not solid, consisting mostly of siliceous threads 
or spicula. 
3. Briareum.—— Axis not solid, suberose or containing calcareous 
spicula. 
4. Gorgonia. — Axis solid, corneous ; polyps retractile, with or without 
fixed verrucse on the surface after retraction. 
5. Primnoa. — Axis solid; polyps retractile into oblong movable ver- 
rucas, imbricately squamous. 
6. Behryce. — Axis solid corneous ; polyps not retractile. 
Subfamily III. IsiNiE. — Axis jointed, budding being periodical. 
G. 7. Mopsea, — Joints alternately calcareous and corneous, furcato-raraose 
Avith corneous axils ; cortex thin. 
8. Isis. — Joints alternately calcareous and corneous; branches pro- 
ceeding from the calcareous joints ; cortex thick. 
9. Melitcsa. — Joints alternately calcareous and suberose; cortex thin. 
Subfamily L— CORALLIINJS. 
Gorgonidae forming an inarticulate solid stony axis. 
Genus I.--CORALLIUM, 
Stony axis covered with a fleshy polyp crust. 
1. CoRALLiUM NOBILE. — Dichotomously and lax ramose ; branches flexiious, 
sometimes coalescent; polyps every where scattered; disk and tentacles 
white ; axis red, rarely white. 
Mediterranean Sea. 
I? 
