of a bright orange-scarlet even at Station 64, at a depth of 640 fathoms; and we dredged abundantly S. furcifer, D. and K. (Fig. 14), previously known

FIG. 14. - Solaster urcifer, VoN DUBEN and KOREN. Natural size. (No. 55.)

only in the Scandinavian seas. Pedicellaster typicus, SARS, occurred but sparingly, and more frequently the

FIG. 15.-Korethraster hispidus, WYVILLE THOMSON. Dorsal aspect. Twice the natural size. (No. 57.)

pretty biscuit-like Astrogonium granulare, MÜLLER and TROSCHEL. A. phrygianum, O. F. MÜLLER, and

Asteropsis pulvillus, O. F. MÜLLER, were not met with beyond the 100-fathom line. A curious little group of cushion stars, hitherto supposed to be confined to high latitudes, were represented by Pteraster militaris, M. and T., and P. pulvillus, SARS, and by two forms new to science,-one, Korethraster hispidus, sp. n., with the whole of the upper surface covered with long free paxillæ like sable brushes (Fig. 15). Ranges of delicate spatulate spines border the

Fia. 16. --Hymeraster pellucidus, WYVILLE THOMSON. Ventral aspect. Natural size. (No. 59 )

ambulacral grooves. As in Pteraster, there is a double row of conical water feet. The other genus (Fig. 16) is perhaps even more remarkable. The star-fish is very flat, the dorsal surface covered with short paxillæ which support a membrane as in Pteraster. A row of spines fringing the ambulacral grooves is greatly lengthened and webbed, and the web running along the side of one arm meets and unites with the web

of the adjacent arm, so that the angles between the arms are entirely filled up by a delicate membrane stretched on and supported by spines, and the body thus becomes regularly pentagonal. There is no trace on the ventral surface of the arms of the transverse ranges of membranous comb-like plates which are so characteristic in Pteraster.

By far the most abundant and conspicuous forms among the star-fishes in deep water were the genera Astropecten and Archaster, and their allies. At one to two hundred fathoms the small form of Astropecten irregularis, A. acicularis of NORMAN, literally swarmed in some places, usually in company with the small form of Luidia savignii, M. and T., L. sarsii, D. and K. I feel no doubt that these two forms, A. acicularis and L. sarsii, are mere deepwater varieties of the forms which attain so much larger proportions in shallow water. Mr. Edward Waller took charge of Mr. Gwyn Jeffreys' yacht during the summer of 1869, on a dredging cruise off the south coast of Ireland. He worked principally about the 100-fathom line and a little within it, and procured a magnificent series both of Astropecten and Luidia showing a gradual transition through all intermediate stages between the large and the small varieties.

The cold area gave us Astropecten tenuispinus in great abundance and beauty. The tangles sometimes came up scarlet with them, and associated with this species a handsome new form of a peculiar leaden grey colour, and with paxillæ arranged on the dorsal surface of the disk in the form of a rosette, or the petaloid ambulacra of a Clypeaster. Astropecten

arcticus, SARS, was met with sparingly in some of the deeper dredgings. The known northern species of Archaster were abundant and of large size; A. parellii, D. and K., passing into comparatively shallow water; and A. andromeda abundant at greater depths.

FIG. 17.-Archaster bifrons, WYVILLE THOMSON. Dorsal aspect. Three-fourths of the natural size. (No. 57.)

At Stations 57 and 58, and at various others in the cold area we took many specimens of a fine Archaster (Fig. 17) with a double row of large square marginal plates giving the edges a thickened square-cut appearance like those of Ctenodiscus ;

each marginal plate covered with miliary grains, and with a prominent rigid central spine. This is a large form, one of our most striking additions to the tale of known species. It measures 120 mm. from tip to tip of the arms across the disk. The colour is a rich cream, or various shades of light rose.

Ctenodiscus crispatus occurred rarely and of rather small size, not more than 25 mm. across. Nearly every haul brought up small specimens of Asteracanthion mülleri, M. SARS, and specimens of all sizes of Cribrella sanguinolenta, O. F. MÜLLER.

The distribution of Ophiuoridea was altogether new to a British dredger. By far the most abundant form in moderate depths was Amphiura abyssicola, M. SARS, a species hitherto unknown in the British seas; and at greater depths this species was associated in about equal numbers with Ophiocten sericeum, FORBES.

Everywhere Ophiacantha spinulosa, M. and T., abounds, and the common Ophioglypha lacertosa of shallow water is replaced by O. sarsii, LÜTKEN, while Ophiopholis aculeata, O. F. MÜLLER, loves to nestle among the branches of corals and stony polyzoa. In such characteristic cold area dredgings as Stations 54, 55, 57, and 64, we find the two species of Ophioscolex, O. purpurea, D. and K., and O. glacialis, M. and T.; the former in some places in great abundance, and the latter much more scarce. Both species are new to the British area, and two very remarkable forms which accompany them are new to science. One of these is a very large ophiurid with thick arms, upwards of three decimetres long, and a large soft disk