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Show 1899.] ASTRcEID CORALS FROM THE SOUTH PACIFIC. 735 (Journ. Linn. Soc, Zool. xviii. p. 1,1885) appears to be absolutely useless. The subfamilies and alliances are purely artificial, and even for the genera in a single alliance there is no distinct phraseology. Indeed, genera and alliances are constantly described in different but absolutely synonymous terms. That work, too, is not to be depended upon in so far as it refers to the authorities for the different genera. Indeed most of the errors of Milne-Edwards and Haime, corrected by Verrill, Klunzinger and others, appear in its pages. The Fungid and Perforate families are, however, often well described, and the work is a useful key to their genera. Throughout the work I have made a liberal use of the Coral Gallery of the British Museum, and I have profited greatly by the advice of Prof. Jeffrey Bell and Mr. Bernard. Genus EUPHYLLIA. Euphyllia, Dana, Zooph. p. 157 (1848). Euphyllia, Milne-Edwards & Haime, Cor. ii. p. 191 (1857). The characters separating the genera Euphyllia and Caulastrcea do not seem to me of sufficient importance for the retention of the latter genus. The genus Eusmilia, further, is very doubtfully distinct. Tbe characters separating the subfamilies Astrceidce ccespitosce and Astrceidce confluentes of Martin Duncan, when practically examined, are found to be merely artificial and worthless. 1. EUPHYLLIA GLABRESCENS Chamisso. Caryophyllia glabrescens, Chamisso & Eysenhardt, Nov. Act. Curios. Nat. x. p. 369 (1821). Euphyllia glabrescens, Dana, Zooph. p. 163 (1848). Euphyllia glabrescens, Milne-Edwards & Haime, Cor. ii. p. 192 (1857). I have referred pieces from ten several colonies to this species, from which Euphyllia gaimardi (Milne-Edwards & Haime) is very doubtfully distinct. The colony forms round clumps of corallites, which spring from the same stem, the branching being dichotomous. The branches vary greatly in length between their divisions, in one colony dividing every 12 mm., and in another having a length of nearly 40 m m . between the divisions. The whole mode of growth varies enormously, and appears to depend on the extent to which the bases and sides of the corallites are bored into and incrusted by different organisms, and doubtless also on the position of growth in respect to food-supply, &c. The corallites naturally vary as well in respect to size, shape, and depth, being somewhat larger and always more distant, with deeper axial fossae, in the more vigorously growing colonies. In one colony the corallites are about 4 m m . apart, and the separate calices (showing no trace of any division) vary up to 1*6 cm. in diameter, while in another colony they are '9-1*5 cm. apart by |