426 BULLETIN 82, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



tubercles. He said that the first pinnules, which are on the second brachials, are the 

 longest. 



Dujardin and Hup6, in 1862, under the name of Comatula novae-guineae published 

 a translation of Miiller's original description (1841). Dujardin, however, personally 

 examined the material in the Paris Museum, and his description of multifida differs 

 slightly from that published by MuUer. He wrote that the 5 arms almost at the base 

 divide into 8 or 10 pinnulate branches, which seem to arise from the disk in such a 

 way that the number of these branches, ordinarily 44 or 45, may rise as high as 50. 

 The remaining portion of his description is a translation of Miiller. The locaUty 

 given by Dujardin and Hup6 is "mer des Indes." 



Troschel, in his notes which were incorporated in Miiller's original description, 

 recorded the number of arms as 44. Miiller, after examining the material in the Paris 

 Museum, gave the arm number as 40-44. Dujardin said that the number of the 

 arms is 44 or 45, and may rise as high as 50. 



This discrepancy is easily explained. The specimen studied by Troschel, which 

 is therefore the type of multijida, has 45 arms, as I determined from personal exam- 

 ination. Troschel counted only 44, while Dujardin said "44 or 45." The specimen 

 having 40 arms which Muller found together with this individual, was an example 

 of Capillaster sentosa taken by P6ron and Lesueur in 1803, at the same time and place. 

 The specimen with 50 arms referred to by Dujardin was probably an example of 

 Comanthus bennetti with 56 arms, which was also taken by P6ron and Lesueur in the 

 Moluccas in 1803. There is in the Paris Museum another specimen of Capillaster 

 sentosa with about 50 arms, which was collected in the Moluccas by Quoy and 

 Gaimard, and undoubtedly this also was examined by Dujardin. 



A collection of natural-history specimens of different kinds was made by Capt. 

 Albert Vest65 and by him presented to the elementary school at Visby, Sweden. 

 This proved to include several forms of more than usual interest, which, with the 

 consent of Captain Vestoo and of Rector C. Cramers, were presented to the Riks 

 Museum at Stockholm, through Mr. O. A. Vestoo. Among these were 3 specimens 

 of a remarkably fine comatulid which were considered by Prof. Sven Lov^n as repre- 

 senting a new genus. These he described in 1866 under the name of Phanogenia 

 typica. 



King William I of Holland was deeply interested in science, and under his patron- 

 age large collections of natural-history specimens were made in the Dutch overseas 

 possessions. The results of the study of this material were published in sumptuous 

 form. Naturally the more conspicuous and most easily preserved creatures received 

 first attention. But in 1869 there were published imder the editorship of Dr. J. A. 

 Herklots a large number of colored figures of echinoderms which were based upon 

 specimens collected and sketches made by Kuhl, van Hasselt, and Salomon Muller. 

 Among these was a figure of a comatulid identified as Comatula novae-guineae which 

 had been taken by the last named at Eidouma, an island off the coast of New Guinea. 

 This is the individual which was described in 1841 under the name of Aledo novae- 

 guineae by J. Miiller. 



In 1874 Prof. C. F. Liitken listed Actinometra stellata from Fiji in the catalogue 

 of the Godeffroy Museum, but gave no indication of its characters. 



