521 



ings of the English Arctic Expedition in Lat. 81° N. is a totally distinct 

 one. This has been already noticed by Sladen, who examined some 

 of the Porcupine specimens after he had described the Arctic ones. 



Sladen identifies his specimens with those obtained by the Austrian 

 Arctic Expedition, and also referred to Ant. celtica by von Maren- 

 z ell er 2. Judging from von Marenzeller's description, I believe 

 Sladen to be right 3 in this identification. But despite the differences 

 between Ant. celtica Sladen and Ant. celtica Barrett sp. the specific 

 name celtica may conveniently be retained for the former type. For I 

 find that Barrett's type is merely a somewhat dwarfed and less robust 

 variety of the Antedon phalangium Marion (Müll, sp.) of the Medi- 

 terranean. This fine species inhabits somewhat greater depths than the 

 common Comatula mediterranea^ extending downwards to 100 fa th., 

 and is consequently somewhat rare. It was twice dredged on the Tunis 

 coast by H. M.S. Porcupine in 1870, viz. — from 50 — 100 fath. in the 

 Bay of Benzert, and from 30 — 120 fath. on the Skerki Bank. Its pre- 

 sence off Marseilles has been since revealed by the dredgings of Prof. 

 Marion to whose kindness I am indebted for specimens of the type. 



Between these localities, however, and the Island of Skye, Ant. 

 phalangium has not yet been obtained, though Ant. rosacea is common 

 at Rose off and all up the W. coasts of England, Wales, and Southern 

 Scotland. 



Besides these Iavo British species a third has been proposed by 

 Sir Wy ville Thomson, though it has never yet received a thorough 

 recognition. This is the Comatula ßmhriata Miller = Comatula Milleri 

 J. Müller = Antedon Milleri Norman *. The chief distinction between 

 this species and Ant. rosacea is the length of the ovaries. These are 

 short and rounded in Ant. rosacea but long in Ant. Milleri, extending 

 over more than half the length of the pinnules, as in Ant. Eschrichtii. 

 I have examined a few specimens of the latter type, and am inclined 

 to think that this distinction is a good one, and that others are correlated 

 with it. As far as I have seen at present, theconimon Mediterranean 

 form is that with the long ovaries ; but a very few specimens with short 

 ovaries were obtained by the Porcupine in the Bay of Benzert and on 

 the Skerki Bank, together with quantities of Ant. phalangium. I am 



2 Wiener Denkschriften, Bd. XXXV. p. 380. 



3 Since the above lines were written I have been enabled, by the kindness of 

 Dr. V. Mar en zeli er, to examine the specimen in question. It is entirely different 

 from Ant. celtica Barrett sp., but is identical with the species obtained by the British 

 Arctic Expedition of 1875, as surmised by Sladen. 



* On the genera and species of British Echinodermata. Ann. and Mag. Nat. 

 Hist. 3. Ser. Vol. 15. 1865. p. 102. 



