MONOGEAPH OF THE EXISTING CEINOIDS. 



Observations at sea I became convinced that the recent ^^^^f^'^^l'^'J^^J^tl 

 much of a factor in the present day marine biology, and play f^llff ^ ^"^^^^^^^ 

 part, as the echinoids, the holothurians, or the astcroxds; CBCoIogicaUy ^W are^ J e 

 interesting than any of these because of then- sessde mode of 'Me and curiously 



ntlfe.ret:f tt^ariXce hitherto attached to the crinoids as recent 

 ammals in comparison with the other echhioderms has ansen from three causes 

 trTle extraordinary completeness of the pal^ontological record; this has is 

 iri2 in the Let that the crinoids exceed almost aU other animals in their adapt. 

 Sv to fos mzatL- their organization includes a very large percentage of lime 

 angler not^n^^^^^^ -id there are no soft bodied foi-ms among them. I 



L to be expected, then, that fossil crinoids vvill be exceedingly nmnerous, and ^vdl 

 Llude a far greater variety of diverse types than the fossd representatives of he 

 ir echinodSm groups, and therefore will appear greatly to have exceeded in the 

 na rirnumberr ^ari^t;, and general importance the echinoids, asteroids ophiu- 

 Ss or hdothurians. whUe at the same time this splendid palseontological record 

 wil te^d to S o^^ to the true importance of the recent representatives and 



llv so verfmuch fe^^^^^ because of the much less general mterest which 

 Zv'tverc tJd were t^^^ as enthusiastically studied as the echmoids 



can not expect that a >»™B "^ *. . , t, „„„ „,„„ or less rare or local 

 '"' ^'"t ta Er;," o7;:rear.lUvSrare accessible to him as in America, 



.ere 'I-' ^''--' ^^^P-'j tTen* do b Lat 1 L,vledge of the crinoids 

 tuTdte toi^ ad™* of what™ is to-day; the senriprofe^ional .oalogist as a 

 would ''«'"™"T'° ,,„,,, ^„i,j,. animals in which he has become mtorested al 



rule pursues f '°"'f",'"" 't^^. > ,„„„, ,.„„». animals of classes strange to hml, 

 home through the study of^sownloca^ ,^ ^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^_ 



"Tv" i'he haf at,lrS marine .ollogy, gathers up corals, .hells, nrchms 

 : t'arfls toi he°:.itl the more tenacious ophiuroid,, not attemptmg to save 

 rmorebritt|speci.ofthe.^^^^^^ 



Fn-mly behevmg, there ore, ^J^^^''/?^ . ^ asteroids, ophiuroids or holothu- 



r,td'i:"5i:f''strL;v:::m';!re7'^^^^ 



