LONG-ARMED BRITTLE-STAR. 



47 



correctness of Montagu's description, and the very great 

 differences which distinguish these two spider-legged Brit- 

 tle-stars. It would be an injustice to the discoverer not 

 to give his account of the species in his own words. 

 " Body roundish, or subpentangular, covered above with 

 small oval scales, disposed in ten alternate broad and 

 narrow rays ; the smaller rays rather conic, terminating 

 between two oblong smooth plates, placed at the junction 

 of each arm ; the arms are five in number, extremely long 

 and slender, very gradually decreasing to their ends : 

 each of these is composed of between three and four hun- 

 dred articulations, which appear like so many smooth 

 scales above and beneath. The sides are furnished with 

 very small moveable spines, eight or nine in a row, at 

 every joint ; the scales near the body beneath are bisul- 

 cated longitudinally ; and the arms at that part run quite 

 to the centre or mouth, which is a small cinquefoil, and 

 appears to be formed of four little plates regularly placed 

 at each angle. On the body between the arms the surface 

 is rough with minute papilla? ; colour, when alive, pur- 

 plish brown, and sometimes bluish ash colour. 



" Diameter of the body scarce half an inch ; length of 

 the arms from seven to eight inches, making in all an 

 extent of about sixteen inches, or four feet in circum- 

 ference. One in my cabinet, whose body is only three- 

 eiohths of an inch diameter, has the arms seven inches in 

 length, which is more than eighteen diameters of the body : 

 a disproportion not before noticed in any species of 

 Asterias. 



" This extraordinary animal is taken in sand at one 

 particular part of Salcomb Bay, where that article is col- 

 lected for manure. The only perfect specimens obtained 

 were such as had been dried in a heap of the sand. In 



