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[From the Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, March 16th, 1874.] 


Remarks Suggested by Dr. J. E. Gray’s Paper on the “ Stick 
Fish,” in “ Nature,” Nov. 6th, 1873. 


BY ROBERT E. C. STEARNS. 


At a meeting of this Academy on the 3d of February, 1873, certain switch- 
like rods, being the axes of some polyp-form, as well as the general characters 
of Alcyonoid Polyps, were considered and discussed, for the purpose of tracing 
by analogy and determining the relations and position of the specimens under 
consideration at that time ; and it may be remembered that a paper was read, 
in which was given at considerable length a resumé of what had appeared in 
the columns of Nature, in the way of notes and comments by several learned 
gentlemen. 

These rods, switches, or wands, as the specimens had been variously called, 
were first brought to the notice of the Academy on the 5th of June, 1871, 
when specimens were presented to the Museum, and, so far as an opinion was 
expressed at that time in a general way, the specimens were placed near the 
group to which it has been subsequently proved that they belong. 

On the 4th of August, 1873, Dr. James Blake submitted an entire specimen 
of the polyps, of which the rods, etc., are the central stalks or axes : that is, one 
of these rods or switches was presented by him, with the investing soft or fleshy 
covering, which proved it to be either a Pavonaria, or closely related to that 
genus. Accordingly, I published a description placing it in the genus Pavo- 
naria, and gave it the specific name of ‘‘ Blakei,” (Pavonaria Blakei) and the 
same was printed in the Mining and Scientific Press of this city, August 9th, 
1873. 

Before the succeeding regular meeting of the Academy, which took place 
August 18th, 1873, through access to more recent literature bearing on the 
subject, I perceived at once that not only was the species new, but that its sep- 
aration generically was warranted, and the sub-genus Vervillia was made by me 
to receive it ; and adescription of the genus and species was read at that meet- 
ing, and printed copies of my paper (dated August 20th) were sent to various 
authors, societies, and scientific journals, in advance of the regular publication 
of the Academy’s Proceedings. 


Z 


Among the many scientific gentlemen who had discussed the character and 
relations of the so-called switches, Dr. P. L. Sclater, of the Zodlogical Society, 
kindly gave publicity to Verrillia Blakei, in Nature, for October 9th, 1873. 

In the same journal, of date Nov. 6thy 1873, Dr. J. E Gray, of the British 
Museum, publishes a communication “ On the stick-fish, (Osteocella septentrion- 
alis) and on the habits of sea-pens,” in which he refers to a specimen presented 
to the Museum by Mr. Coote M. Chambers, and of which he says: “ Unfortu- 
nately the specimen did not arrive in a good state for exhibition. The greater 


‘part of the animal portion had been washed off, probably by the motion of the 


solution during the transit ; only about a foot of the flesh which was loose on 
the axis, and the thick, swollen, naked, club-shaped base, without polypes, re- 
mained ; but it was in a sufficiently good state to afford the means of deter- 
mining its zodlogical situation, and of examining its microscopical and other 
zoological characters.” 

In the next paragraph, of which I quote a portion, Dr. Gray says: “ Mr. 
Chambers’ specimen is the animal of the axis or stick, that I described as Oste- 
ocella septentrionalis, (Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 1872, p.406) * * * * * 
and is evidently the same animal as Pavonaria Blakei, described by R. E. C, 
Stearns.” 

“Two days after I received this specimen, I received by post Mr. Stearns’ 
description of the stick fish, (Pavonaria Blakei) from the San Francisco Mining 
and Scientific Press, August 9th, 1873.” 

Towards the close of his article, Dr. Gray writes: “ Mr. Stearns’ paper, in 
the Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, is a reprint of the 
paper in the San Francisco Mining and Scientific Press, with a few additions, 
and the addition of a new sub-genus, Verrillia, although he quotes Osteocella.” In 
this paper Mr. Gray gives what he considers “ the synonymy of those animals ”’; 
first, the genera, and next, the species ; placing my first generic determination, 
Pavonaria, and my subsequent sub-genus, Verrillia, in the order as recited, as 
synonymes of his genus Osteocella. 

IT would ask Dr. Gray by what warrant, either of science or justice, he 
places Pavonaria or Verrillia, definitely described genera, as synonymes of his 
indefinite and vague Osteocella, which latter he publishes as a genus, for it can- 
not be said he describes it, in the “ Catalogue of Sea-Pens—or Pennatulide— 
in the British Museum” 1870, page 40. Gray’s genus Osteocella is based upon 
a “bone,” (probably the axis of a polyp) which was sent to the British Museum 
‘many years ago,” from Australia, by a gentleman named Clifton. The in- 
vesting fleshy substance, or soft portion of the animal, of which said bone 
formed a part, had not been seen by Dr. Gray at the time he invented the name 
Osteocella, and even to this date no additional light has been furnished by him 
regarding the Australian form. He was not even positive that the “ bone” be- 
longed to a zodphyte, for he says: “or, it may be the long conical bone of a 
form of decapod cephalapod which has not yet occurred to naturalists, as Mr. 
Clifton spoke of its being a free marine animal : it has a cartilaginous apex like 
the cuttle fish.” . 


In which of the great divisions of the animal kingdom does Dr. Gray place 
it, or did he place his Australian bone in 1870? 

Courtesy and fairness suggest that as he printed it in the Catalogue of Pen- 
natulide, it should be conceded, as I have written, in a previous paper, “ that, 
in his mind, the balance of reasoning tends in that direction.” 

Admitting this latter, what then? The Australian bone upon which rests 
his genus Osteocella is described by Dr. Gray as being “ thick, about eleven 
inches long, tapering at each end.” Subsequently he has received one of the 
stalks, or axes, of what I have named Ver illia Blakei; of the latter, he says it 
is “long, slender, about sixty-four inches long, attenuated at the base, and very 
much attenuated and elongated at the other end.” “ Mr. Carter” examined 
both of the bones referred to, microscopically, and “ finds them ” to “ present 
the same horny structure,” ete. Anexamination with acid was made, but as it 
would be rather difficult to comprehend in what way generic or specific deter- 
minations within any related groups could be determined by acid, this test may 
be allowed to pass. 

The reference of Verrillia to Osteocella as a synonyme, or otherwise, must rest 
on this microscopic test, as the soft investing portion of the animal, the perfect 
or complete polyp or polypidom of the Australian form, to which the bone, if 
the axis of an alcyonoid, belongs, and upon which Dr. Gray made his genus Os- 
teocella, has not, as yet, been seen by him, or brought under scientific observa- 
tion. He cannot aver, because he does not know, but that it may be a species 
which belongs to some genus already described, or that it may properly fall in 
as a sub-genus of some of the genera of Alcyonoids previously known; he does 
not know but what its relationship may be nearer to any of the other groups 
than to Pavonaria. No description sufficiently accurate to be worthy of con- 
sideration can be made from the axial rods or bones alone, of this class of ani- 
mal forms, nor can species be satisfactorily determined without the fleshy por- 
tion ; nor, in the present state of our knowledge, can the microscope determine 
these points. ; 

In his genus Osteocella, which, it must be borne in mind, rests solely on the 
naked Australian bone or axis, which he says is “ thick,” “eleven inches long,” 
as published in the British Museum Catalogue of Pennatulid@, no information 
is furnished as to the soft investing portion, for the very good reason that it had 
not been seen by him; yet in the number of Nature last quoted, he speaks of 
© the complete polyp-mass,” thus clothing his west Australian Osteocella with 
the fleshy covering of the west North-American Verrilia. So much for his 
generic synonymy. As to the species, the North-American form, as referred to 
by him, could not be definitely placed, by anything written by Dr. Gray prior 
to the date of my description. 

This is a matter, not of personal pride, but of scientific accuracy ; and scien- 
tificn aturalists should not lose sight of, or be diverted from, this sene qua non, 
or palliate individual idiosyncracies which involve integrity, and which should 
not be allowed to pass without challenge or comment. 


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