274 BULLETIN 76, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Variety E. — This variety intergrades with eschrichtii (4779), with variety D, 

 and variety C. It might be considered as a variety of eschrichtii, owing to the 

 usually thick rays and small marginal plates. Two specimens from station 3224 are 

 about half way between the prevalent form of variety E and variety D, but are a 

 little nearer the latter abactinally and nearer variety E actinally. 



This variety has thick arms and the abactinal skeleton forms a very definite 

 mesh work along which the rather short stubby spinelets are arranged in groups. 

 These groups are slightlj' sj:)aced and have five to fifteen spinelets in each. The 

 papular areas formed b}^ the meshes are subdivided irregularly by plates which are 

 often more or less isolated and in the minor intervals the papulae protrude (see pi. 68, 

 fig. 3). Marginal plates are relatively much smaller than in escJirichtii, with fewer 

 spinelets. Proximally there are sometimes three rows of actinal intermediate plates, 

 soon becoming one which ends in distal third of ray ; proximally sometimes as many 

 as three to five intermarginal series of small, irregularly arranged plates, two series 

 of which persist to the middle of ray, and one sometimes extends to tip, but ordi- 

 narily not so far; adambulacral spinelets, five to ten, in one zigzag or two irregular 

 transverse series, similar to typical eschrichtii. 



Like many other varieties this form at first sight looks like a distinct species, but 

 it intergrades with eschrichtii, almost typical specimens of which occur at station 

 4779. The open character of the skeleton suggests aspera, as does also the spinula- 

 tion of the actinal surface. Again hybridism is probable, for some of the specimens 

 strikingly resemble a mosaic of sanguinolenta or eschrichtii and aspera. 



This variety was taken at station 3213 (yielding also eschrichtii); 3224 (possi- 

 bly nearer variety D ; multispina from this station); 4777 (from this station also 

 sanguinolenta variety C, multispina, and aspera) ; 4779 (from here an apparent inter- 

 grade with eschricJitii also, and sanguinolenta variety C, aspera, multispina, and an 

 aberrant leviuscula) ; 4792 (aspera and sanguinolenta from here). 



Type-locality. — Denmark or Norway. 



Distribution. — Cape Hatteras to Labrador; Greenland (north to lat. 70°30'N.); 

 Iceland and eastward; vicinity of Jan Mayen; Spitzbergen, north to lat. 81° 20' N.; 

 south along the Scandinavian coast; North Sea, the coasts of Great Britain and 

 Ireland and Faroe Islands; and south to the Bay of Biscay and Azores, to lat. 38° 

 34' N. From Finmark eastward and northward to the Murman coast, the Wliite Sea, 

 Barents Sea, Kara Sea, to East Cape; Bering Sea, south to vicinity of Kuril Islaniis 

 (and northern Japan?), and on the North American coast to Washington. The 

 distribution, therefore, is circumpolar, and south on the continental shores to about 

 lat. 35° to 45° N. The greatest depth at which the species has been taken in 

 the North Pacific is 229 fathoms, but Sladen records a depth as great as 1,350 

 fathoms. These very deep records must be viewed with some doubt. 



