1074 NOTES AND EXHIBITS. 



NOTES AND EXHIBITS. 



A Note on Echinaster decanus, Miill. and Trosch. By Professor 

 F. Jeffrey Bell, M.A., Corr. Mem. Linn. Soc. X.S.W. 



It may be of interest to the members of the Liunean Society 

 of New South Wales to learn that one of the results of Dr. 

 Ramsay's dredgings in Port Jackson has been the discovery of 

 the exact habitat of a rare species, which, had it been described 

 by naturalists less masters of their subject than Midler and 

 Troschel, might be said also to be little known. The specimen 

 sent me by Dr. Ramsay was taken in the trawl off George's 

 Head last May ; it is rather more than five inches in spread, 

 and is remarkable for the large size of the pore-areas ; in 

 these there are a number of respiratory processes, and I expect 

 to learn that this starfish is found living in localities where respira- 

 tion is less easily effected than it is generally by these animals. It 

 would be of interest to a cabinet naturalist to have the relation of 

 the number of respiratory pores to the conditions of aeration 

 investigated by those who have such advantageous opportunities 

 for the work as the zoologists of Sydney. 



Postscrij)t to the above. — Since Professor Bell received the 

 specimen above-mentioned, the Museum has obtained some very 

 large individuals of the same species, 9| inches in expanse, the 

 central disk between the arms being 2-2 inches, some of the pore- 

 areas being 0'9 inch in breadth and others 1 inch in length; the 

 length of the arms twice that of the central portion. Although 

 closely allied to Echinaster, I believe it will eventually find its way 

 into a new genus. The species has been taken by the trawl in 

 shallow water not exceeding five fathoms, but also on one occasion 

 in from ten to twelve fathoms. Localities in Port Jackson for 

 this rare species are, off Geoi^ge's Head, Shark Reef, and Dobroyde 

 Point. — {E. P. Ramsay.) 



