B. PHŒNIX. GEN. CHARACTERS. 267 



all around toward tlie border of the flatly convex sieve-plate, 

 which is encircled by an inconspicuous ridge-like cuff. 



I should remark that this state of the upper end seems to 

 be usual in R. phœnix, at least after a certain stage in its growth. 

 Schulze's figure in the Challenger Keport, taken from an au- 

 thentic specimen given him by O. Schmidt, indicates just this 

 condition of the upper end. And so do also the figures given 

 by FiLHOL of his Trichaptella elegam, Avhich Topsent ('96) 

 assumes to be identical with R. phœnix. Whether Topsent be 

 correct or not in this assumption, it may nevertheless be pre- 

 sumed that, as he had before him some perfect specimens of 

 R. phœnix, he had observed an agreement in configuration be- 

 tween these specimens and the above mentioned figures of Filhol. 



The sieve-plate in the * Albatross ' specimen is greatly 

 damaged ; originally it must have been approximately circular 

 and about 30 mm. in diameter (PL XI, fig. 1). Of its beams 

 there remain only those Avhich must have formed the main sup- 

 port of the plate, and which are themselves supported by the 

 strong spicular rays that correspond to the coronal rays of R. 

 homeyamai. The beams that remain project inwards from the 

 cuffed border, are 2-6 mm. apart at the roots, and are arranged 

 on the whole like the spokes in a wheel. Several of them meet 

 or nearly meet at the center but without uniting in this position. 

 However, there are some which in their inward course become 

 confluent with their neighbors, thus forming triangular meshes. 

 In a few places they show lateral branches, or rather remnants 

 of these, which originally might have effected a continuous com- 

 munication between two adjoining radial beams. — It scarcely 

 needs to be pointed out that the beams are, unlike the coronal 



