76 " ENDEAVOUR " SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. 



near the tip, extending inwards horizontally directly across 

 the ambulacral furrow, but not quite as long as the width of 

 the furrow, and a stout, flattened spine, 2-3 mm. long, with 

 widened chisel-like tip, situated on the margin or actinal 

 surface of the plate ; this spine is more or less clothed on its 

 outer side with a membrane densely covered with minute 

 pedicellarise. Beyond the middle of the arm the acicular 

 furrow spine disappears, and the big marginal spine becomes 

 smaller and smaller and steadily more acicular until at tip 

 of arm, it is very minute or perhaps wanting. Oral plates 

 each with 3 short (scarcely a millimeter long), blunt spines, 

 one on the inner corner, one (the largest) on the outer 

 comer, and the smallest at the aboral, radial corner ; 

 all carry a few minute pedicellarise. Madreporites ap- 

 parently 4, very small and with few, short, wide furrows ; 

 they are more or less elevated and near margin of disk, but are 

 difficult to make out in an undried specimen. Colour (alco- 

 hoHc or dry), dingy yellowish- white. Two specimens. 



This is a notable species, one of the "Endeavour's" most 

 interesting captures, since it is the first member of the genus 

 to be taken in the Southern Hemisphere and except the recent- 

 ly discovered Hawaiian species, the only species not from the 

 Atlantic. The genus must henceforth be recognised as cos- 

 mopohtan, for the present form can hardly be considered 

 generically different from the others although its specific 

 characters are well-marked. The occurrence of several 

 madreporites is an unusual feature and the adambulacral 

 furrow spine is also characteristic. Finally it is worthy of 

 remark that no other species of Odinia has been taken in 

 water as shallow as 200 fathoms. 



Loc. — South-east of Cape Everard, Victoria, 200 fathoms. 



OPHIUROIDEA. 



The Ophiurans collected by the " Endeavour " are not an 

 extraordinary lot in any particular, but they give added 

 weight to the view that the AustraHan Ophiuran fauna is 

 relatively poor. Up to the present about one hundred and 

 fifteen species of Ophiurans have been recorded from Aus- 

 tralia in three hundred fathoms or less, but fully half of these 

 are known only from the far northern and north-western 

 coasts of the continent, and are East Indian rather than 

 Australian. Whitelegge lists only thirty -four Ophiurans from 

 Port Jackson and neighbourhood, and six of these are from 



