264 



scarcely capitate, but more or less pointed. They are uniformly dis- 

 tributed over the disc and rays in a reticulating manner, the inter- 

 spaces being from one-tenth to one-half inch in diameter, and thickly 

 crowded with groups of papula3 and minor pedicellariae ; the latter 

 generally occurring about the bases of the spines, but not forming 

 wreaths or crowns. The major pedicellariaa are very short and stout, 

 regularly conical or somewhat wedge-shaped, with very broad valves. 

 They are very numerous, particularly on the disc, where they often 

 stand in groups of ten to twenty together. The largest are found 

 isolated in the angles of the rays below, where one occurred having 

 a diameter of eight-hundredths of an inch, and a regularly conical 

 form, with a square base. Diameter of our only specimen, ten inches. 



It is allied to A. ochracea, but differs in its more numerous spines, 

 pedicellariae, and ambulacra! pores. 



Habitat, Puget Sound. North-West Boundary Commission. Dr. 

 C. B. Kennerly. 



ASTERIAS FISSISPLNA (nOV. sp.) 



Five rays, short, and dilated at base ; disc large. Proportion of 

 the diameters, 1 : 3. Ambulacral pores near base of ray crowded, 

 alternating, indistinctly six or eight rowed. Ambulacral spines in 

 one regular row, as long as the ventrals, and flattened on the outer 

 side. Ventral spines sub-equal, stout, sub-cylindrical, truncated, with 

 fissured tips, and a deep, longitudinal sulcus on the outer side ; they 

 form five regular rows. The marginal dorsal spines are as large as 

 the ventrals, capitate, with striated sides and pinched tips, and 

 form an irregular row, of much fewer spines than occur in a ventral 

 row. The spines of the back are few in number, and of only half 

 the size of the ventral spines. They are shaped like the marginal 

 sf)ines, from which they are not ordinarily distinct, and are arranged 

 on reticulating ridges, forming a rather open net-work. On the disc 

 they form a pentagon, from each angle of which extends a median 

 row reaching to one-third the length of the ray. Within the penta- 

 gon, close to its periphery, the madreporic plate is situated. The 

 dorsal spines increase in size toward the tips of the rays. Papulae 

 in groups. Minor pedicellariae nearly as in yl. ocliracea and A. con- 

 ferla ; major pedicellariae smaller and far less numerous than in 

 those species, but of similar short and stout form. Diameter, thir- 

 teen inches. 



Habitat, Shoalwater Bay, Oregon Coast. Northern Pacific Eail- 

 road Expedition. Dr. J. G. Cooper. 



ASTERIAS CAPITATA (nOV. Sp.) 



Rays five, not contracted at base ; disc large. Proportion of diam- 

 eters, 1 : 4.5. Ambulacral pores rather narrow, in four regular rows. 



