PREFACE. 
eee 
Tue efforts which have been made of recent years to investigate the 
Fauna of the seas surrounding the British Islands have supplied 
large and important contributions to the Collection of Echinoderms 
in the British Museum, which previously was singularly poor in 
specimens of this part of the indigenous Fauna. Much time and 
labour has been given to the study and arrangement of these additions ; 
and it seemed to be expedient to prepare, together with the nominal 
list of the specimens, a complete account of all the species hitherto 
found in British seas—descriptive so far as to define the limits of a 
species as understood by the author, and to supply at the same time 
the means by which the collector could identify his specimens. As 
no such guide exists, it is expected that much encouragement 
will be given to the study of Echinoderms by the present volume, 
and especially that the deficiencies which still exist in the series 
of specimens in the National Collection will be supplied by those who 
may use, and profit by, this work. 
ALBERT GUNTHER, 
Keeper of the Department of Zoology. 
British Museum (N. H.), 
16th November, 1892. 
