Alcyonaria,

Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 1: A to Beaufort, p. 137

Alcyonaria, one of the two orders of Actinozoa (q.v.), including polyps, with eight tentacles and radial partitions. They usually form colonies, and have always some kind of skeleton. Dead-men's fingers, sea-pens, red corals, and organ-pipe corals, are common representatives of the order.

Source scan(s): p. 0152