REPORT ON THE ASTEROIDEA, 627 
Rays very long and narrow, narrow and cylindrical at the base but rapidly swelling 
into a robust and tumidly fusiform ovarial inflation, which contracts more gradually and 
terminates at about 30 mm. from the disk, thus occupying less than the proximal ninth 
of the length, The ovarial inflations show various degrees of tumidity in different rays 
of the same animal, and frequently one is much larger than any of the others, being 
two or three times the size, and oviform or pyriform in shape. Beyond the ovarial region 
the ray is subtriangular, with a truncate median carination, and tapers gradually to a very 
attenuate extremity. In consequence of the number and breadth of the rays, the inter- 
brachial arcs have the form of sharply defined clefts. 
The disk is small, with the abactinal surface subplane, and perhaps capable of faint 
inflation, It is very slightly above the level of the extreme basal part of the rays, towards 
which the margin of the disk slopes gradually ; when viewed in longitudinal profile, the 
ovarial tumidity is seen to be considerable on the abactinal outline, but not so great as 
laterally. The abactinal surface of the disk and of the rays, as far as the extent of the 
ovarial region, is covered with small imbricating subhexagonal plates, overlaid with mem- 
branous tissue, and the major diameter of the plates lies transverse to the axis of the ray. 
Each plate bears a number of very small spinelets about 0°366 mm. in length, covered with 
simple membrane, which give a velvety or subhirsute appearance to the parts they cover. 
Upon the disk no definite order of disposition is presented, but upon the ovarial regions 
somewhat of a grouped arrangement may be often seen, in which a tendency to a transverse 
lineal disposition may usually be more or less clearly distinguished. These almost micro- 
scopic spinelets are articulated on small granules upon the plates. At first sight it might be 
said that no pedicellarize were present on the abactinal area of the disk and ovarial regions, 
but occasionally at wide intervals apart very small isolated sessile pedicellarize may be 
found amongst the spinelets on the plates, and usually most frequently near the lateral 
margin of the ray. Beyond the ovarial region the abactinal surface of the ray is covered 
with delicate membrane, upon which saddle-like, narrow saccular bands occur, correspond- 
ing normally to each ambulacral segment of the ray ; numerous very small pedicellarize 
are borne upon these sacculi, but they do not appear in the specimens under notice to 
have that crowded character observed in other species, and they seem usually most 
frequent on the margins of the saceuli, but whether their absence from the median part is 
natural, or owing to abrasion, I am unable to say. In this species very little of the abac- 
tinal membrane of the ray is preserved intact, and the specimens, which appear to be 
more fragile than usual, have suffered much damage in the process of disentanglement 
from the tangles. Where the compact plating of the ovarial region ceases there follows 
some delicate subcuticular plating in transverse bands, suggesting the character of the 
succeeding transverse sacculi above noted. 
The ambulacral furrow occupies the greater part of the actinal surface of the ray, and 
measures 2°5 mm. at a place where the ray is 4mm. The adambulacral plates are longer 
