116 
ME. H. N, MOSELEY ON THE 
occupied in part by transparent connective-tissue. From the circle of tentacles a cylin- 
drical cavity, showing twenty-two plications on its wall, leads to the stomach. The 
stomach is globular, with a long conical mouth or proboscis projecting up in the centre 
of the last described cavity. A similar proboscis is described by Sars as existing in 
Allopora oculina. The stomach seems to have no outlet below ; but it is of course diffi- 
cult to be certain of the fact in so small and yielding a structure. A series of bundles 
of fibres, each bundle continuous with one of the plications of the cavity above, is 
attached to the periphery of the stomach. There are no mesenteries, at least none 
so distinctly differentiated histologically that they can be recognized by methods which 
show them plainly in Heliopora and Pocillopbra. Fine transverse sections of polyps 
stained with carmine were obtained ; they showed only the open meshwork of tissue 
around the stomach, but no definite mesenteries. In the part of the meshwork sur- 
rounding the cavity leading from the tentacular circle to the stomach, and just below 
the level of the tentacles, lie the generative organs. All the individuals of the only 
stock of Stylaster examined were males ; hence these corals appear to be dioecious. 
Very large globular sacs crammed with spermatic cells, containing some of them vesicles 
of evolution, and others masses of spermatozoa spirally wound, were found in the 
position above described, attached to parts of the meshwork, and disposed sometimes 
in a single row around the calyx, sometimes in two rows one above the other. These 
occupy the interior of the cavities of the ampullae. No trace of mesenterial filaments 
was seen in Stylaster . 
Portions of a Cryptohelia examined showed an exactly similar structure to that of the 
Stylaster *. The Cryptohelia stock also contained only male generative elements. 
Notes on the Parasitic Vegetable Organisms found in Millepora and Pocillopora. 
The hard tissue of both the Millepora and the Pocillopora from Zamboangan are 
traversed in all directions by fine capillary branching canals, bored by some low vege- 
table organism. The canals are provided at intervals with numerous spherical cavities 
attached to them laterally, and obviously having contained in the fresh state the spore 
capsules of the organisms. 
The Pocillopora, which has an unusually dense and hard corallum, is most thoroughly 
permeated by three parasites ; the Zamboangan Millepora, in which the tissue is dense, 
has them to a somewhat less extent ; whilst in the Millepora alcicornis from Bermuda, 
in which the corallum is comparatively soft and cancellar, borings of the parasites can 
only here and there with difficulty be detected. 
The parasites, when set free by acids, are seen to be composed of a ramifying 
mycelium with abundance of fructification. The parasites are probably similar in 
nature to those described as infesting the shells of mollusca and other hard animal tissues 
by Professor Kolliker and Dr. Carpenter, references to whose papers on the subject 
have already been given. I have seen also a paper on the vegetable parasites in shells 
* July 12, 1876. — I have since shown that the whole of the Stylasteridae are true Hydroids. 
