402 PROCEEDINGS': BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 
oies, which tends to form a low sessile colony with a rounded or more 
or less flattened upper surface. Few of the colonies exceed 30 mm. 
in greatest diameter. 
The zooids in preserved specimens vary from pale yellow to brown 
in color. They are almost invariably violently contorted, so that their 
natural form is completely obscured. Individuals which remain 
straightened out, as in text-fig. 22, are few in most specimens. There 
appears to be a fairly well marked constriction between the thorax and 
abdomen, but little constriction or none between the abdomen and 
post-abdomen. The latter of course varies in length and thickness 
according to the development of the reproductive organs, but is gener- 
ally decidedly less than the length of the thorax and abdomen together, 
when the latter are straightened out and moderately relaxed. The 
total length of most of the zooids is between 2 mm. and 3.5 mm. in the 
alcoholic specimens, ^'errill and Smith give 3 mm. to 4 mm. as the 
greatest length, probably in fresh s])ecimens. The branchial orifice 
is six-lobed; the atrial orifice, placed at a varying but often consider- 
able distance from the anterior end of the thorax, is at the end of a low 
conical projection and has a plain or very slightly lobed or sinuate 
margin. An atrial languet appears to be entirely wanting. The 
mantle muscles are mainly longitudinal. 
Owing to the minute size and contracted condition of the zooids, the 
details of the internal structure of the thorax are generally entirely 
obscured. The oral tentacles appear to be of two sizes placed alter- 
nately, and to number about a dozen. Dorsal languets were not 
distinguishable, but there is no reason to suppose they are not present. 
The endostyle is broad, with very tortuous margins in the contracted 
state. In the zooid figured (text-fig. 22) the rows of stigmata niuii- 
bered seven, with at least a dozen in a row on each side of the sac. 
Apparently some of the zooids have at least one or two more rows of 
stigmata than this. 
The wall of the stomach has generally from 10 to 12 conspicuous 
longitudinal folds extending its whole length. The intestine forms a 
twisted loop, crossing the esophagus on the left side of the latter. 
The ovary is situated in the anterior part of the post-abdomen; 
the testes extend through the greater part of the length of that division 
of the body. 
This is not a very common species, though its distribution is Avide. 
Whiteaves (1901) records it from near Bonaventure Island in the Gulf 
