Messrs. Woodward and Barrett on the genus Synapta. 215 



Only five years ago (in 18f>3) Mr. Cocks of Falmouth described 

 two British species, and gave a magnified figure of the skin, without 

 seeing the anchors ; and still more recently Mr. Gosse was unable 

 to find them, even with the aid of a microscope *. However, they 

 are present in all the examples that have come under our notice, and 

 they can always be seen with a common pocket lens. Indeed the 

 larger anchors of Synapta digitata are nearly half a line in length, 

 and visible to the unassisted eye. 



Jseirer says that all the anchors of his Synapta Beselii are ^rd of 

 a line in length, and can be seen without a glass. This great Synapta 

 of the Celebes is a yard long, and called a "sea-serpent'* by the na- 

 tives ! t 



Two other large species, described by Lesson, were said to create a 

 burning sensation when handled ; but it is not clear whether this 

 was caused by the anchors, or by urticating organs, like those of 

 the Actinia and Eolis. No such phsenomenon could be detected by 

 Quatrefages or other observers who have handled the smaller Synaptce 

 when ahve. 



The anatomy of these creatures appears to have been first in- 

 vestigated by Leuckart %, who examined the Synapta vittata of 

 Forskal, and ascertained that it had no internal respiratory organs 

 like the Holothuria. 



Anchors and plates attributed to this species, which comes from the 

 shores of the Red Sea, near Suez, are to be found in the cabinet of 

 every microscopic observer. The slides are prepared in Paris, and 

 extensively re-manufactured in this country. The anchor-flukes are 

 plain and simple, and the articular end of the shank is deeply subdi- 

 vided. The plates are furnished with a raised arch at the smaller 

 end, forming a sort of cavity for the reception of the anchor-stock. 

 They are exactly like those figured in Miiller's article, *' tlber den 

 Bau der Echinodermen " (Berlin Trans. 1854, t. 6. f. 17), under the 

 name of S. serpentina. There is a woodcut of them in Carpenter's 

 work on the Microscope ; and figures are also given in the Micro- 

 graphic Dictionary. Mr. Wm. Griesbach has a slide with the mi- 

 liary plates, which are oval and granular, very numerous, and all alike. 



Prof. Forbes was unacquainted with the anchors of the British 

 Synaptce ; and Dr. Carpenter in his last work (1857) says it is not 

 known whether they have anchors, or wheels like Chiridota. 



We have obtained evidence of both the European Synaptce from 

 several British localities ; and as the published notices are scattered 

 in many works, we propose to give some account of them, and also to 

 describe 'a new species from China. 



lets ; " but this expression (der sie iiberall wie Kletten anhangen) is employed in 

 the introductory paragraph. In the special description of Synapta he only speaks 

 of" small roughnesses ( Rauhigkeiten) invisible to the naked eye." And he de- 

 scribes Chiridota verrucosa as, '* corpore undique verrucis rubris adhaerentibus 

 obsito."— Zool. Atlas, fol. Berlin, 1829. 



* Aquarium, p. 243. 



t Dissertatio de Holothuriis, 4to. Turic. 1833. + Isis, 1831. 



