90 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



of the larval stem and those of the West Indian Pentacrinus, and so proposed to call 

 the European form Phytocrinus. This was rendered unnecessary, however, by J. V. 

 Thompson's discovery that Pentacrinus europieus is the young stage of Antedon rosacea; 

 and it is now clear that Kallispongia, Wright, is a real Comatulid larva, and not a 

 mimetic Keratose sponge, as was at first supposed. 



An attempt has recently been made by Walther 1 to re-establish Solanocrinus, 

 Goldfuss, as a genus distinct from Antedon. I do not think, however, that there are any 

 really good reasons for this change. The fossil species which Walther refers to Solano- 

 crinus appear to him to present no syzygial unions in the arms, and this is the only 

 character of any real generic value which he can bring forward as separating Solanocrinus 

 from Antedon. I have explained elsewhere, 2 however, that the absence of syzygies in 

 the arms of Solanocrinus costatus, Solanocrinus imperialis, and Solanocrinus gracilis, 

 is to my mind less certain than Walther believes ; while I strongly suspect from his 

 figures and descriptions that in all these three types the two outer radials are united by 

 syzygy, just as in Antedon Jluctuans and Antedon multiradiata (Pis. VIIL, IX.). I 

 cannot therefore yet acquiesce in Walther's restoration of Goldfuss's genus, though it is 

 quite possible that this course may become necessary at some future time. 



De Freminville did not give any etymology for his new generic name Antedon, and no 

 clue as to its gender is to be obtained from the name of his single species Antedon 

 gorgonia. But when the genus was re-established by Mr. Norman in 1865 he used 

 Antedon as a masculine noun, and in this course he was followed by Sir Wyville Thomson, 

 Dr. Carpenter, M. Sars, Liitken, Marion, von Marenzeller, Greeff, Ludwig, and others. 

 In 1877, however, it was determined by the late Mr. Spedding 3 that Antedon is really a 

 feminine name, and should be more correctly spelt Anthedon. Since that date it has 

 been used as a feminine noun by Pourtales, Ludwig, Duncan and Sladen, Bell, Verrill, 

 J. V. Carus, Greeff, Dr. Carpenter and myself; though Schliiter, Rathbun, Marshall, 

 Herdman, Dendy, Vogt and Yung, Walther, and, till lately, Perrier, have continued to 

 use it in the masculine gender. In Perrier's latest publication, 4 however, the following 

 passage occurs about the name : — "Antedon rosaceus qui, selon la remarque de Victor Carus 

 doit etre remplace par celui d' Antedon rosacea, Antedon etant une nymphe. Ce savant 

 expose est suivi d'une etude des niceurs des Antedon qui contient plusieurs constatations 

 interessantes." As I was unable to find the authority for Perrier's statement in any of 

 the zoological works of Professor Carus, I wrote to him upon the subject, and he was 

 good enough to inform me that the facts referred to by Perrier had been contained in a 

 letter and not in any of his published works. He also kindly gave me a reference to the 



1 Untersuchungen ttber den Bau der Crinoideen, Palseontographica, 1886, Bd. xxxii. p. 175. 



2 The Generic Position of Solanocrinus, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist, 1887, ser. 5, vol. xix. pp. 81-88. 



3 Nature, 1877, vol. xv. p. 366. 



4 Memoire sur l'Organisation et le Developpement de la Comatule de la Mediterranee (Antedon rosacea, Linck) 

 Nouv. Archiv. Mus. Hist. Nat, Paris, 1S86, t. ix. fasc. 1, p. 79. 



