234 BRITTLE-STARS. 



dredged a tolerable quantity (I say " quantity " be- 

 cause Brittle-stars come up in pecks or bushels rather 

 than in scores or hundreds), and have had plenty of 

 examples of disjointed members, I have never found 

 it prevail to such an extent as to prevent my pre- 

 serving almost with certainty any specimen I wished, 

 without particular precautions. And certainly they 

 are charming occupants of an Aquarium : the ex- 

 treme variety of colouring displayed by them, — I 

 speak of the most abundant species, the Hosette ( 0. 

 rosula), — and the gorgeousness of the hues frequently 

 presented ; orange, yellow, crimson, purple, blue, 

 white ; often arranged in alternate angular bands ; 

 catch the eye of the most indifferent in a moment : 

 while the exquisitely sculptured spines that profusely 

 fringe each ray, and the many-sided and variously- 

 formed, but perfectly regular and symmetrical scales 

 and plates, that clothe the disk and the rays on both 

 surfaces, elicit our admiration when we examine them 

 more closely. {See Plate IV.) 



Professor Forbes is " doubtful, howevet, whether 

 Uraster (the common Starfish, Crossfish or Five- 

 finger) has the power of throwing off its rays volun- 

 tarily, as is the case with Luidia and the OpMurcey 

 I have had evidence that it has, and that not in the 

 case of U. glacialis, in which species these organs 

 are acknowledged to be fragile, but in the Common 

 Crossfish {U. ruhens), 



A specimen of this latter, about five inches in dia- 

 meter, that had been dredged in Weymouth harbour, 

 was crawling tranquilly up the glass side of my large 

 tank. Several hours had elapsed since it was put in, 



