A history of the British sea-anemones and corals / by Philip Henry Gosse.

  • Gosse, Philip Henry, 1810-1888.
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A history of the British sea-anemones and corals / by Philip Henry Gosse. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    399/436
    age : the specimen figured is about teu inches in height, and seven in diameter. Animal. Undescribed. Locality. The north-western coasts of Europe : deep water. The figure in Plate X. is taken from a noble specimen, undoubtedly British, reduced to half the natural size. 1 am indebted for the opportunity of delineating it to the kindness of Professor Dickie, of Belfast, who was at the pains of having several photographs taken from it for my use, and favoured me also with many fragments including perfect corallites. Dr. Dickie informs me that it was obtained from deep water off Skye, in 1852, by means of the deep-sea lines of a fisherman, who presented it to him. He mentions having seen another British example, in the possession of Professor Fleming, the same that the latter exhibited before the Eoyal Society of Edinburgh in 1846. and which had been taken in the previous summer, by fishermen whose lines had become entangled with it in the sea between the islands of Rum and Eig. This specimen, which weighs six pounds, is preserved in the Museum of King's College, Aberdeen. A third example is alluded to by Johnston, who was informed by E. Forbes that certain published figures of the species had recalled to his mind a very large specimen in the possession of Dr. Edmonstonc of Orkney. It is to be regretted that we possess no information of the living animal of so fine a Coral, the only British example of the truly dendroid species. The name LopkoJielia is formed from \6<po<;, a tuft, and >;A.to?, the sun ; q. d. a tuft of suns, alluding to the radiating plates of the corallites. [Acrohelia.] LOPHOHELIA. [Amphihelia.]