GRAY BRITTLE-STAR. S3 



disk, are covered above by almost square scales, beneath 

 by longitudinally oblong- plates. Each of the transverse 

 ridges on the sides of the rays bears four or five conical 

 short spines, equal in length to the breadth of the ray. 

 These spines appear smooth to the naked eye ; but when 

 highly magnified are seen to be rough with little points. 

 The colour of the body and rays is gray ; the spines 

 lighter. The plates opposite the origins of the rays are 

 deep gray with white tips. 



This species was first distinguished and named by Dr. 

 Johnston of Berwick in the year 1835. It seems to be 

 the Starfish mentioned in Mr. Templetons catalogue of 

 the Bayed Animals of Ireland, under the name of "Ophiura 

 minuta found in the pools of marine rocks of Antrim and 

 Down." Dr. Leach characterises a species from " among 

 rocks on the coast of Devonshire" under the name of Ophiura 

 elegans, which possibly is the neglecta. He describes his 

 Starfish thus : — " Body squamous, very slightly einarginate 

 between the rays, with ten geminated scales larger than the 

 others ; rays long, with somewhat transverse scales and 

 short spines, gray annulated with white." The distribution 

 of the Gray Brittle-star on the coasts of Britain is exten- 

 sive. In England Mr. Couch finds it on the shores of 

 Cornwall, and Dr. Johnston at Berwick, " between tide- 

 marks ; not rare." Mr. Bean takes it in a similar situa- 

 tion at Scarborough. In the Irish Sea I have dredged it 

 in deep water on the Manx coast. In Ireland it was taken 

 by Mr. Thompson and Mr. Hyndman in Strangford Loch 

 in the year 1834, and set aside as distinct. In that locality 

 it is abundant in rock-pools among Corallina officinalis. 

 They have also dredged up a few on the coasts of Down 

 and Antrim, and it is common on the west coast. In 

 Scotland, Mr. Henry Goodsir found it at Newhaven in the 



