^0. 3.] ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY. 357 



miuing and studying the large collection of West Indian shells, 

 marine and terrestrial, of corals, sponges, Crustacea, semi-fossil 

 shells of the island, made by the Governor, Mr. Rawson. Of 

 the marine series he wrote in the following terms to Mr. J, G. 

 Anthony, the Curator of the Harvard Museum: — " I am having 

 high carnival. I have found here what I did not expect to find 

 anywhere in the world — a collection of shells in which the young 

 are put up with as much care as the adult, and extensive series 

 of specimens show the whole range of changes of the species, from 

 the formation of the nucleus to the adult." He was particularly 

 struck with the now unique specimen of Holopus, lately procured 

 by Mr. Rawson, which was described by Dr. J. E. Gray in the 

 December number of the ''Annals of Natural History," and 

 named by him, from a drawing, H. Rawsoni, but which Agassiz, 

 who had seen the specimen of D'Orbigny in Paris, before it disap- 

 peared, considers to be a normal specimen of //. Banzii, which 

 had only four, instead of five arms. Count Pourtales recognised 

 amon^: the corals several similar to those which he had obtained 

 by dredging in or near the Gulf Stream, and described in the 

 latest No. (4) of the " Illustrated Catalogue of the Museum of 

 (Comparative Zoology at Harvard College," the presence of which 

 ron the coast of Barbados serves to indicate the close similarity of 

 ^submarine life in those two distant localities. 



The next two days, or rather the night of the next, and the 

 greater part of the following day, were spent in dredging in the 

 neigiibourhood, in a depth of 60 to 120 fathoms, about a mile 

 from the shore, whence Mr. Rawson has procured his fine speci- 

 mens of Pentacrinus Millleri. The Holopus was found on the 

 -opposite side of the island. The results were beyond the expecta- 

 tions, or even the hopes, of the most sanguine of the party. Only 

 dead fragments of the Pentacrinus were obtained, but among the 

 abundant spoils were four specimens of a new genus of Crinoid, 

 without arms on the stem, (like Rhizocrimis ?) which remained 

 alive, with the arms in motion, until noon on the following day, 

 under the excited observation of the party. A number of deep- 

 sea corals, alive, Crustacea, sea urchins of new species, star fish, 

 sponges (crutaccous, Jurassic.) and corallines, &c., and a rich har- 

 vest of shells, were obtained. Among these was a splendid live 

 specimen of Pleurotomaria Quoyana, F and B, of which genus 

 Chenu writes that only one living species, and of that only one 

 specimen, is known. The animal exhibited remarkable affinities, 



