Verrill.] 384 [April 7, 



coast. It is remarkable for the thinness or flatness of the outer por- 

 tion of its shell, the deeply sunken grooves of the lower surface, and 

 the length and narrowness of its five perforations, and especially of 

 the odd postei'ior one. The posterior side is somewhat truncate, but 

 a little rounded in the middle, and the posterior lateral perforations 

 are curved. The largest specimen from Golf of California (Steai'ns) 

 is 3.8 inches in diameter; another is 2.95 wide, 2.70 long, .45 high; 

 the anterior pair of perforations .54 and .56 long; the posterior pair 

 .55 and .60; the posterior odd one .78 long; .09 wide. 



Scapheehinus mirabilis (Barnard ms.) A. Agassiz. 



Proc. Philad. Acad. Nat. Sci., 1863, p. 359. 



Two specimens of this species, received from Robt. E. C. Stearns, 

 Esq., are from Yokohaina, Japan. 



Eehinaraehnius asiatieus Mich., Rev. and Mag. Zool., 1859. 



A specimen, apparently of this species, collected at the Aleutian 

 Islands, by W. G. W. Harford, on the U. S. Coast Survey, has been 

 received from Mr. Stearns. 



It differs from E. parma, of the New England coast, in having a 

 thicker form, especially toward the margin, and much broader and 

 more open ambulacral rosettes. 



Tripneustes depressus A. Agassiz. 



Verrill, Trans. Conn. Acad., I, p. 375, 1868. 



Capt. Pedersen has sent several more large and fine specimens of 

 this species, collected at La Paz. The largest specimen is 5.15 

 inches in diameter, and 2.60 high. 



They agree well with the one previously described, except that one 

 specimen has much larger ovarial plates than the others, and conse- 

 quently a larger abactinal region. The ovarial plates are also more 

 pointed, giving the abactinal area a more stellate form. The differ- 

 ence is possibly sexual. 



ASTERIOIDEA. 



Gymnasteria spinosa Gray. 



Annals and Mag. Nat. Hist., 1840, p. 278; Synopsis of Species of 

 Starfishes in British Museum, p. 8, 1866. 



A starfish sent from La Paz, by Capt. Pedersen, seems to be identi- 

 cal with this species, originally collected at Panama by Mr. H. 

 Cuming. 



Form pentagonal, with rather broad, tapering, somewhat depressed, 

 triangular rays. Radii as 1:2.2. The skeleton, both above and 



