Excerpt from The Coral Siderastrea Radians and Its Postlarval Development The researches of the late Prof. H. de Lacaze-Duthiers (1873, 1897), Prof. G. von Koch (1882, 1897), and Prof. H. V. Wilson(1888) have made us acquainted with many of the early stages in the development of corals. They have served to establish such fundamental facts as the ectodermal origin of the madreporarian skeleton and the sequence of the primary mesenteries and septa, results which must ever possess an importance to the student of the Anthozoa. But for an understanding of many of the problems of adult coral morphology, especially those associated with the relationships of the mesenteries and septa, it has long been desirable that developmental stages later than those studied by the authors mentioned should be investigated. While resident in the West Indies I have followed day by day the postlarval growth of the coral Siderastrea radians (Pallas) for a third of a year, and secured the development of the tentacles and septa as far as the third cycle, and that of the mesenteries to the completion of the second cycle. The results are herein set forth. In many respects the mature polyps of S. radians are of peculiar morphological interest, but have never been fully described. An account is therefore first given of the external characters and internal anatomy of the adult colony, and afterwards of the development of the young polyp from teh free-swimming larva. The manner of appearance and the relationships of the tentacles, mesenteries, and septa are considered at some length, their establishment being the principal object of the investigation. The work was commenced while Curator of the Museum of the Institute of Jamaica, continued as Bruce Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and concluded at the American Museum of Natural History, New York. For facilities afforded in carrying out the investigations I am under obligations to the Board of Governors of the Institute of Jamaica, Prof. W. K. Bnioks, of the Johns Hopkins University, and Prof. H. C. Bumpus, of the American Museum of Natural History. The research has been assisted by an appropriation from the Carnegie Institution. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.