DUBLIN NATURAL HISTOBT SOCIETT. 143 



western and southern coasts I have found it abundant wherever it did 

 occur. I, therefore, suspect there is some error in the record, but, never 

 having had an opportunity of examining the actual locality recorded — 

 Lambay Island — I hesitate in the case of so well marked a species to 

 assert positively that Thompson must be wrong. Solaster endeca is re- 

 corded by Dr. Ball as from Dublin Bay. In my dredging researches, 

 which have not been few, I have never met it, and suspect an error here 

 also. In the case of Palmipea memhranaceus, also recorded as a Dublin 

 species, on the authority of Mr. J. W. Warren, and stated to have been 

 dredged ahout seven miles off the Dublin coast, recollecting that in 

 Dundrum Bay the species swarms, it may be that his informant, in 

 speaking of the specimen, used the notoriously loose computations 

 common among fishermen. I have never met any one else who has seen 

 a Dublin specimen. So little is known about the Holothuriadeae and 

 SynaptfiB, that possibly at present it is better to omit dwelling on them 

 too rigidly in this comparative examination. 



The other species have occurred to myself on both sides of the island. 

 I will notice a few of the more remarkable, premising that on the eastern 

 coast the species occur in deep water, whilst on the western the same 

 species are generally littoral. 



Comatula rosacea^ Dublin Bay, Valentia Island, Belfast. Ophiocoma 

 neglecta, Dublin Bay, Ardmore, Valentia. Ophiocoma granulatay Dub- 

 lin, Valentia, Belfast. Ur aster glacialiSf Dublin, very common, 12-30 

 fathoms, Kilkee, very common, littoral; Belfast, 15 fathoms. Uraster 

 hispida, DubUn Bay, Cork, Professor Greene ; county of Down, "William 

 Thompson. Astertas auranciaca, Malahide, 1858; Ardmore, 1851 ; Va- 

 lentia. "When the subject has been fully worked up, I have little doubt 

 that many other species will be added to this list, particularly among the 

 soft-bodied Echinoderms. 



"With regard to the British species absent from the Irish lists they 

 will be nearly all found to belong to the northern, being generally re- 

 stricted in Great Britain to the northern islands; it is not probable, 

 therefore, that many of them will ever be found as natives of Ireland. 

 On the other hand, almost all the southern British types have occurred 

 on the west and northern coasts of Ireland. 



Dr. E. Perceval Wright was pleased to hear that a carefully prepared 

 list of the Echinodermata inhabiting the Irish seas was now about to 

 make its appearance. During the summer of the preceding year, he 

 had, in conjunction with his friend, Professor J. Reay Greene, paid 

 much attention to the distribution of these animals around the south 

 and south-west coasts of Ireland. The results of these and other obser- 

 vations had already been laid before the British Association {vide "Pro- 

 ceedings,'* August, 1859), at their late meeting at Leeds. In the course 

 of the ensuing season they hoped, if possible, to follow up and extend these 

 inquiries. Dr. Kinahan had referred to the Spoonworm, which he seemed 

 to regard as a member of the class Echinodermata, the animal in question 

 belonging to the group usually denominated Sipunculoidea. In this 



