REPORT ON THE CRINOIDEA. 91 



following passage in Pausanias where Anthedon occurs as the name of a nymph 

 (ix. 22, 5):— 



" Trj? Se Boiwn'as r<x eV dpicrrepa tov 'Evpinov, MeacrdftLov opos Kakov^vov, koX vtrh 

 avTco Boianw eVi 6a\d<j(Trj<; 770X15 icrrlv 'AvOtJSwv. yeviadai Se rfj itoXcl to oVo/za ol /j.ev 

 airb ' AvdrjSovos vvfi,(f)7]<;, ol Se 'Avdcova BvuacrTevaai Xe'youcrii/ ivravOa, IloseiSawo? re 7rcuSa 

 Kal 'A\kv6vt]<; rrjs "ArXauTO^." 



" That part of Bceotia which lies on the left of the Euripus is called the Messabian 

 Mountain, and below it on the coast is a town of the Boeotians called Anthedon. Some 

 say that the town was called after a nymph Anthedon, others that Anthon a son of 

 Poseidon and Alcyone daughter of Atlas reigned there." 



It is clear, however, that although Antedon is etymologically incorrect, De Freminville's 

 spelling of the. name must be retained ; but at the same time the question of its gender 

 may be regarded as finally settled. 



Remarks. — De Freminville's definition of Antedon, like those of Alecto by Leach 

 and of Comatula by Lamarck, would apply almost equally well to all the various forms 

 of Feather-stars. But that given by Mr. Norman * is of a much more limited character, as 

 it commences with the words " Mouth central. Anus lateral." This character alone was 

 sufficient to separate Antedon from Midler's genus Actinometra as defined by Dujardin 

 and Hupe three years before, but we now know four other genera of Endocyclic 

 Comatulse. 



The essential characters of the calyx of Antedon have been fully explained already, 

 and there is therefore no need to refer to them again. It is distinguished from Pro- 

 machocrinus by the presence of five rays only, and from Eudiocrinus by the fact that 

 these rays divide so that there are ten primary arms, which may themselves divide again. 

 The presence of pinnules on the arm-bases and the lateral union of the radials distinguish 

 Antedon from the two remaining genera of recent Endocyclic Comatulse, Atelecrinus and 

 Thaumatocrinus respectively ; while the want of a comb on the oral jnnnules, the 

 presence of sacculi, and the central mouth distinguish it very clearly from Actinometra. 



The oral pinnules of Antedon are extremely variable in their characters. In some 

 species, such as Antedon mxdtispina, and Antedon angvstipinna, they are comparatively 

 small and insignificant (PI. XIII. fig. 1 ; PI. XXIX. fig. 1). In others like Antedon 

 gracilis, Antedon valida, Antedon incerta and Antedon lusitanica they have a number 

 of short, but very wide basal joints, and are therefore somewhat massive in appearance 

 (PI. XII. fig. 3 ; PI. XV. fig. 6 ; PL XVIII. fig. 5 ; PI. XXXIX. fig. 2). In Antedon 

 occulta, and in a large number of similarly bidistichate species, they are stiff and styli- 

 form and stand up round the edge of the disk as if to shield it from danger, a character 

 which Liitken has expressed in the specific name Antedon protecta. They are more slender 

 and flexible and consist of much elongated joints in Antedon longipinna and Antedon 



1 Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist, 1865, ser. 3, vol. xv. p. 101. 



