10 THE FAUNA OF THE DEEP SKA 



Concerning Pourtalesia Sir Wyville Thomson 

 says :- 



' The remarkable point is that, while we had so 

 far as we were aware no living representative of this 



peculiar arrangement of what is called "disjunct' 

 ambulacra, we have long been acquainted with a fossil 

 family the Dysasteridas possessing this character. 

 Many species of the genera Dysaster, Collyrites, &c., 

 are found from the lower oolite to the white chalk, but 

 there the family had previously been supposed to have 

 become extinct.' 



The discovery of two new Crinoids led to the 

 anticipation that the Crinoidea, the remarkable group 

 of Echinoderma, supposed at the time to be on the 

 verge of extinction, probably form, rather an impor- 

 tant element in the abysmal fauna. 



One of the most interesting results was the 

 discovery of three genera in deep water, Ccdveria, 

 Neolampas and Pourtalesia, almost immediately after 

 they were discovered by Pourtales in deep water 

 011 the coasts of Florida, showing thus a wide 

 lateral distribution and suggesting a vast abysmal 

 fauna. 



A year before the ' Lightning ' was despatched, 

 Count Pourtales had commenced a series of investi- 



