18 R. KIRKPATEICK. 



Specimen B is 27 cm. iu height and 32 5 cm. iu diameter ; the colour is now dark 

 brown, but Mr. Hodgson states that it was pale yellow when captured ; many of the 

 conules form large, thick, thumb-like projections. 



The larger of the two smallest specimens (II. 3) is 3 cm. in height and 2'2 cm. in 

 width, the total height and length, including the pleuralia, being 7 cm. Mr. Hodgson 

 informs me that, on one occasion, he hauled up from 228 m. (125 fms.), No. G hole, 

 a huge specimen, apparently of this species, 2 feet in height and 18 inches in diameter, 

 but in spite of desperate efforts to secure it, resulting in his arms becoming like a 

 pincushion, the specimen fell back into the water and was lost. 



The dermal surface shows a fine network in which larger and deeper meshes 

 formed by strands of hypodermal diactius are filled in by much finer square meshes 

 formed by the autodermal pentactins. 



The gastral membrane (VI. 3) is smooth and shows sieve-like groups of small 

 orifices, which are much larger than those of A. pilosn. The membrane is supported by 

 bundles of hypogastral diactius which form a network with large meshes ; usually in 

 each mesh there is one large oval orifice, 5 to 1 mm. in long diameter, with a sharply- 

 defined thin membranous edge. The sieve-like groups of orifices are separated from 

 each other by unperforated areas or zones, which are sometimes of considerable extent 

 in the upper part of the central cavity. 



Skeleton. The skeletal framework is constructed of bundles of diactius, and of 

 large regular hexactins, which latter are especially abundant in specimen B. 



Spicules. The diactin principalia are very long and have their ends either 

 rough or smooth, and sharply pointed (more so than those of A. pilosa). The regular 

 hexactins (VI. 3a) have thick rays each 060 x 90/i, smooth or rough at the ends; 

 many of these spicules are abnormal in having their " paratangential " rays curved and 

 bent away from the normal plane like the ribs of an umbrella. 



The pleuralia are usually diactins ; a few anchor pentactins occur in the larger, 

 but many in the smaller specimens. 



The basalia are peutactins, which attain a length of 10 cm. (VI. 3b), and have 

 very stout prongs, 125/^ in thickness at the base. 



The autodermalia (VI. 3d) are pentactius, with wholly spiued rays ; each 

 tangential ray, 113 x 17/^, tapers slightly. 



The hypodermal oxypentactins (VI. c3) are grapnel-like ; they are usually found 

 entirely below the surface of the couules, but there are only a few in each conule. 

 Sometimes they project outside among the pleuralia. 



The autogastralia are chiefly pentactins (VI. 3d 1 ), each ray being 150 x 18/A 

 and wholly spiued ; many hexactius, slightly smaller than the peutactins, also occur ; 

 at the nodes of the hypogastral network there is usually a hexactin about twice the 

 size of the autogastral hexactin and with the rays smooth at their bases. 



The intermedia. Oxyhexasters. Holoxyhexasters are very rare. Hemioxy- 

 hexusters (VI. 3c, e 1 ) are 120/* in diameter, and with almost aborted primary rays. 



