STAR-FISHES OF BAKFF. 75 



five inches and a half. It is of a fine red colour above, and white beneath, with 

 the exception of a narrow red margin. The third is a most splendid specimen. 

 It is almost symmetrical, and measures six inches and a quarter. It was 

 taken in fifty fathoms water, ten miles from land, on the 13th of February. 

 Knotty Cushion-Star. {Ooniaster equestris.) This is rather frequent. With- 

 in the last eighteen months, I have obtained five or six specimens. All that 

 I have seen were of a fine red colour ; the larger ones, however, becomiug 

 yellow when preserved, but the smaller ones keeping the colour. The largest 

 specimen I have, measures eight inches across. The furrowed, forceps-like 

 spinules are closed in the dried specimens, but they are open in the living 

 animal. The creature appears to have a very delicate sense of touch. The 

 least puncture with a pin causes it to shut the spinviles. If you touch the 

 spinules in any row in rapid succession, it closes them, and, after a little, 

 opens them ; so that, before you reach the end of the row, it is shutting them 

 at the one end and opening them at the other. 



Butthorn. {Asterias aurantiaca.) Common. Of this I obtained, last 

 autumn, a monstrosity. One of the rays, at about half the length, separated 

 into two fully developed rays ; so that, if you count the rays at the tips, they 

 number six ; if at the roots, five. It was of a pale rose colour. 



Lingthorn. {Luidia fragilissima.) Both varieties occm-. I have before me 

 a specimen with seven rays, measuring sixteen inches across. It was taken 

 from deep Avater. I have seen them without a single ray, and the disk still 

 living. 



Common Egg-Urchin. {Echinus sphcura.) " Canniber." Common. One 

 specimen measures twelve inches and a half in circumference, and three 

 inches in height. 



Purple tipped Egg-Urchin. {Echinus miliaris.) Quite common ; always from 

 deep water. 



Green Pea-Urchin. {Echinocyamus pusillus.) I find the shells in great 

 abundance, brought up in almost every conglomei'ation of stones, shells, &c.; 

 although I have not yet been so fortunate as to obtain a living specimen. 



Purple Heart-Urchin, {Spatangus purpureus.) One bi-oken specimen, but 

 quite enough to identify the species. 



Fiddle Heart-Urchin. {Brissus hjrifer.) Last autumn I procured a very fine 

 specimen. The body was of a brownish kind of colour, and the spines were 

 of a dirty white. It is two inches and one-eighth long, one inch and three- 

 quarters broad, and one inch deep. 



Common Heart-Urchin. {Amphidotus cordatus.) Quite common. 



Snail Sea-Cucumber. {Psolus pihantapus.) Several wei'e got last autumn, at 

 Gamrie. 



Angular Sea-Cucumber. {Cucumaria pentactes.) 



Long Sea-Cucumber. {Cucumaria fusif or mis.) On the 16th October, 1854, I 

 obtained what I considered to be a specimen of this" Sea-Cucumber. It was 



