268 



rals, slender, with acute tips pointing outward. At the bases of the 

 ventral spines there are numerous minor podicellarige, clustered at 

 the outer side in the inner rows, but forming wreaths around those 

 of the outer row. The marginal row of dorsal spines, on the side of 

 the ray, consists of about fifty spines as slender as the ventrals, but 

 capitate, with truncated tips. The other dorsal spines, above, are of 

 two kinds, a larger and a smaller. The larger ones are few in num- 

 ber, shorter but much thicker than the ventrals, capitate, with 

 flattened heads, and are arranged in a pretty regular though some- 

 what zigzag median row of about twenty-five spines, crowded near 

 the disc, but farther apart near the extremity of the ray. Between 

 this row and the marginal row there are scattered a few more of the 

 larger kind, sometimes in clusters or short rows of three or four. On 

 the disc they form a more or less distinct pentagon, within which 

 there is another circle, and a spine of large size in the centre. The 

 spines of the smaller kind, minute, slender, and truncated, are scat- 

 tered between the large ones. Minor pedicellari^ are scattered in' 

 considerable numbers between the spines, and form wreaths around 

 the bases of the larger ones. The major pedicellari£e are very few 

 in number, small in size, and of rather slender form. Papulae numer- 

 ous, but not forming regular groups. Diameter, five inches. 



A pretty and well-characterized species, related to A. epichlora. 



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

 C. B. Kennerly. 



ASTERIAS AREXICOLA (uOV. sp ) 



Rays five, depressed, subcylindrical, somewhat contracted at base, 

 and with blunt extremities ; disc small. Proportion of diameters 

 generally about 1:5.3. The ambulacral spines are arranged regu- 

 larly two to each plate, but the pairs are placed alternately a little 

 to the right and left, so that they often appear to be in four rows, 

 those of the inner row being much shorter and more pointed than the 

 others, while those of the outer row are flattened, a little concave on 

 the outer side, and have truncated extremities. There are no pedi- 

 cellariae on these ambulacral spines, except an occasional one on the 

 spines toward the mouth. There are a few pediceUarias on the inter- 

 ambulacral plates in the furrows. The ventral spines are arranged, 

 longitudinally, in two rows, there being two in each transvei se row, 

 both on the same plate, and corresponding to three or four pairs of 

 ambulacral spines. They are cylindrical, blunt, as long as the ambu- 

 lacral spines and twice as thick, and they sometimes bear a few minor 

 pedicellariaj on their outer sides near the base. To them follows a 

 lateral row of spines (the marginal dorsal row) about twenty-five in 

 number, similar to the ventrals in size, and also bearing a few minor 

 pedicellaria3 on the upper side. The spines of the back arc shorter 



