MONOGRAPH OF THE EXISTING CEIXOIDS. 21 



Dr. F. A. Jentink, of Leyden; Prof. L. Joubin, of the Natural History Museum, Paris; 

 Prof. Rene Koehler, of Lyon; Prof. K. Kraepclin, of the Natural History Museum, 

 Hamburg; Prof. Edward L. Mark, of Harvard University; Prof. W. Michaelsen, of 

 the Natural History Museum, Hamburg; Dr. Theodor Mortcnsen, of the Zoological 

 Museum, Copenhagen; Prof. Ed. Perrier, of the Natural History Museum, Paris: 

 Prof. G. Pfeffer, of the Natural History Museum, Hamburg; Mr. Richard Rathbun 

 and Miss Mary J. Rathbun, of Washington; Prof. J. Richard, of Monaco; Prof. 

 William E. Ritter, of the University of California; Dr. Leonhard Stejneger, of 

 Wasliington ; Dr. Charles Wardell Stiles, of Washington ; Prof. C. Vaney, of Lyon ; 

 Prof. Th. Studer, of Berne, Switzerland; Prof. E. Yanhoffen, of the Museum fur 

 Naturkunde, Berlin; Prof. Addison E. Yen-ill, of Yule rniversity. New Haven, 

 Connecticut; Prof. Max Weber, of Eerbeek, Holland; Prof. W. Weltner, of the 

 Museum fur Naturkunde, Berlin; and Prof. Bernard II. Woodward, of Perth, 

 Western Australia. 



To Mr. Frank Springer, of Las Yegas, New Mexico, with whom I have been in 

 constant communication since the beginning of the work, and who has assisted 

 me in every possible way, with most valuable information and with specimens, I 

 owe more than I can well express; it is due to his constant encouragement and 

 support that I was at last able to bring my studies to a conclusion. 



For their kindness and courtesy in reading the proof of tliis volume I am deeply 

 indebted to Messrs. Frank Springer, William Patten, and Walter K. Fisher. All 

 three of these gentlemen made numerous suggestions which proved most helpful 

 to me. It is only fair to them to state, however, that they are not necessarily to be 

 considered as agreeing with all the details of my conclusions. 



HISTORY OF THE SUBJECT. 



GENERAL HISTORY. 



The common comatulids of the coasts of Europe (Antedon [wtasus, A. bifida, A. 

 meditcrranea, and .1. adriatica) were undoubtedly known, at least to fishermen, long 

 before any record of them appears in literature; so also it is probable that numerous 

 specimens of the large species from the Orient had reached Europe and found their 

 way into the cabinets of collectors soon after the establishment of regular trade 

 between Europe and the East, though they had not aroused sufficient interest to 

 lead to a definite announcement of the fact. 



It is in 1592 that we find the first satisfactory reference to a comatulid; its 

 great beauty and delicacy of structure, enhanced, no doubt, by its comparative 

 rarity, led Fabius Colurnna to treat at some length of the common Mediterranean 

 species (diLKadaauaKitvoztdfc; Antedon rn!tt< i-rn/nn), and he even noticed the 

 interesting physiological fact that if a specimen be placed in fresh water its color- 

 ing matter dissolves out, imparting a hue to the water corresponding to the original 

 color of the individual. The remarks of Columna aroused considerable ir.teiv-;. 

 and we find them incorporated, together with a copy of his really excellent figure, in 

 many of the succeeding works on zoology. 



Fossil crinoids, abundant in many localities, were widely known, and many 

 and curious were the speculations as to their origin; the detached columnals t 



