Zoological Society. 193 



the animal in its wild state inhabits amongst precipitous rocks, sub- 

 ject to the attacks of birds and beasts of prey. In accordance with 

 this idea I may remark, that the young pair of kids when five weeks 

 old, when they began to eat grass freely, kept constantly together, 

 and were more frequently absent from than with the mother. The 

 colostrum and the milk of the goat, I may add, containing an un- 

 usual proportion of nutritive matter, as indicated by their specific 

 gravity, may also be considered in accordance with this idea. The 

 colostrum first drawn, I have found of the high specific gravity 1088 ; 

 it coagulated at about 170°. The milk drawn the following day was 

 of the specific gravity 1041 ; it formed a soft coagulum at about 182°, 

 and a firm one at about 190°. The milk drawn two days later 

 was of specific gravity 10343. After this it underwent very little 

 change ; some drawn a week after was of specific gravity 10333, and 

 some drawn three weeks later was of the same specific gravity. 

 Barbadoes, April 15th, 1847. 



2. Descriptions of some New Genera and Species of Aste- 

 riad^e. By John Edward Gray, Esq., F.R.S. etc 



In the ' Annals and Magazine of Natural History ' for November 

 1840 I published a monograph of the species of this group then 

 known to me, and divided them into five families and several genera ; 

 since that time the British Museum has received numerous speci- 

 mens further illustrative of those which we then possessed, and many 

 other specimens, several of which are the types of new genera. Some 

 of these I shall proceed to describe in the following communication, 

 intending on a future occasion to send the remainder. 



I may remark, that for several years before the publication of that 

 paper, I had been engaged in the study of these animals, with the 

 intention of publishing an illustrated monograph of the order. The 

 preparation of the plates has occupied many years, but I hope it is 

 now in the course of fulfilment. 



In the same year in which I published my paper, Professors J. 

 Miiller and D. Troschel read at the Berlin Academy a paper on the 

 same subject, and in 1842 they published a 4to work, with the de- 

 scription of various species. 



M. Miiller has there reduced the number of genera to eighteen, 

 and for these has most unnecessarily changed the generic names, 

 much to the confusion of the science. I do not know why the 

 Stellonia of Forbes is not to be used for Asterias glacialis and its 

 allies. If the generic name of Asterias is to be erased from the list, 

 I do not see in what respect Aster -ocanthion is preferable to either of 

 these names, or why he rejects Link's name of Pentaceros for Ore- 

 aster (he says Cuvier has used Pentaceros for a genus of fish, but I 

 do not find this name in any of Cuvier's works ; and if it had been 

 so used, Link has the priority over Cuvier), or why Astrogonium is 

 preferable to Goniaster, or Aster opsis to Gymnast eria. 



The Star-fish have generally been described as having no vent. 

 Colonel Sabine, in figuring Asterias polaris, represented a projecting 



Ann. fy Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xx. 14 



