REPORT ON THE ASTEROIDEA. G27 



Rays very long and narrow, narrow and cylindrical at the base but rapidly swelling 

 into a robust and tumidly fusiform ovarial inflation, which contracts more gradually and 

 terminates at about 30 mm. from the disk, thus occupying less than the proximal ninth 

 of the length. The ovarial inflations show various degrees of tumidity in different rays 

 of the same animal, and frequently one is much larger than any of the others, being 

 two or three times the size, and oviform or pyriform in shape. Beyond the ovarial region 

 the ray is subtriangular, with a truncate median carination, and tapers gradually to a very 

 attenuate extremity. In consequence of the number and breadth of the rays, the inter- 

 brachial arcs have the form of sharply defined clefts. 



The disk is small, with the abactinal surface subplane, and perhaps capable of faint 

 inflation. It is very slightly above the level of the extreme basal part of the rays, towards 

 which the margin of the disk slopes gradually ; when viewed in longitudinal profile, the 

 ovarial tumidity is seen to be considerable on the abactinal outline, but not so great as 

 laterally. The abactinal surface of the disk and of the rays, as far as the extent of the 

 ovarial region, is covered with small imbricating subhexagonal plates, overlaid with mem- 

 branous tissue, and the major diameter of the plates lies transverse to the axis of the ray. 

 Each plate bears a number of very small spinelets about - 366 mm. in length, covered with 

 simple membrane, which give a velvety or subhirsute appearance to the parts they cover. 

 Upon the disk no definite order of disposition is presented, but upon the ovarial regions 

 somewhat of a grouped arrangement may be often seen, in which a tendency to a transverse 

 lineal disposition may usually be more or less clearly distinguished. These almost micro- 

 scopic spinelets are articulated on small granules upon the plates. At first sight it might be 

 said that no pedicellariae were present on the abactinal area of the disk and ovarial regions, 

 but occasionally at wide intervals apart very small isolated sessile pedicellariae may be 

 found amongst the spinelets on the plates, and usually most frequently near the lateral 

 margin of the ray. Beyond the ovarial region the abactinal surface of the ray is covered 

 with delicate membrane, upon which saddle-like, narrow saccular bands occur, correspond- 

 ing normally to each ambulacral segment of the ray ; numerous very small pedicellariae 

 are borne upon these sacculi, but they do not appear in the specimens under notice to 

 have that crowded character observed in other species, and they seem usually most 

 frequent on the margins of the sacculi, but whether their absence from the median part is 

 natural, or owing to abrasion, I am unable to say. In this species very little of the abac- 

 tinal membrane of the ray is preserved intact, and the specimens, which appear to be 

 more fragile than usual, have suffered much damage in the process of disentanglement 

 from the tangles. Where the compact plating of the ovarial region ceases there follows 

 some delicate subcuticular plating in transverse bands, suggesting the character of the 

 succeeding transverse sacculi above noted. 



The ambulacral furrow occupies the greater part of the actinal surface of the ray, and 

 measures 2"5 mm. at a place where the ray is 4 mm. The adambulacral plates are longer 



