﻿ECHINODERMATA, 
  125 
  

  

  7. 
  LincMa 
  marmorata. 
  

  

  Ophidiaster 
  marmoratus, 
  Michelin,Mag. 
  Zuol. 
  1845, 
  Zooph. 
  p. 
  21, 
  pi. 
  10. 
  

   Liuckia 
  marmorata, 
  Perrier, 
  p. 
  13o. 
  

  

  If 
  I 
  am 
  correct 
  in 
  referring 
  to 
  this 
  species 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  specimens 
  

   from 
  Port 
  Molle 
  and 
  Fitzroy 
  Island, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  easy 
  to 
  understand 
  

   how 
  it 
  is 
  that 
  M. 
  Michelin's 
  species 
  was 
  never 
  again 
  recognized 
  till 
  

   the 
  Paris 
  Museum 
  came 
  into 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  his 
  type 
  ; 
  that 
  would 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  only 
  example 
  that 
  they 
  possess, 
  and, 
  as 
  M. 
  Perrier 
  

   points 
  out, 
  the 
  " 
  typo 
  " 
  is 
  obviously 
  young. 
  The 
  specimens 
  before 
  

   me 
  are 
  clearly 
  enough 
  all 
  representatives 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  ; 
  but 
  

   were 
  any 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  described 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  possible 
  that 
  from 
  the 
  

   description 
  alone 
  of 
  that 
  single 
  specimen 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  easy 
  to 
  regard 
  

   some 
  others 
  of 
  the 
  series 
  as 
  belonging 
  to 
  another 
  form. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  first 
  place, 
  though 
  all 
  the 
  specimens 
  are 
  provided 
  with 
  the 
  

   intermediate 
  plate 
  that 
  connects 
  into 
  a 
  pentagon 
  the 
  terminal 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  " 
  ranges 
  de 
  plaques 
  qui 
  occupe 
  la 
  ligne 
  mediane 
  dorsale 
  de 
  

   chaque 
  bras," 
  the 
  extent 
  to 
  which 
  this 
  is 
  evident 
  varies 
  a 
  good 
  deal, 
  

   and 
  one 
  would 
  hardly 
  think 
  it 
  worthy 
  of 
  especial 
  note 
  in 
  the 
  largest 
  

   example 
  were 
  not 
  attention 
  directed 
  to 
  it 
  by 
  the 
  better-marked 
  

   characters 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  smaller. 
  Secondly, 
  the 
  smallest 
  specimen 
  

   has 
  the 
  dorsal 
  plates 
  covered 
  with 
  coarse 
  granulations 
  ; 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  

   these, 
  at 
  any 
  rate, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  appropriate 
  to 
  say 
  (again 
  quoting 
  

   Perrier) 
  " 
  les 
  granules 
  voisins 
  de 
  leur 
  centre 
  sent 
  un 
  peu 
  plus 
  gros 
  

   que 
  les 
  autres;" 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  one, 
  two, 
  or 
  more 
  granules 
  

   near 
  the 
  centre 
  acquire, 
  in 
  the 
  larger 
  specimens, 
  a 
  much 
  greater 
  

   predominance, 
  and 
  give 
  a 
  somewhat 
  different 
  appearance 
  to 
  the 
  

   creature 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  largest 
  specimen 
  these 
  again 
  have 
  disappeared, 
  and 
  

   the 
  whole 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  plates 
  is 
  more 
  uniformly 
  granular. 
  Thirdly, 
  

   the 
  dorsal 
  plates 
  may 
  lose 
  the 
  regularity 
  of 
  outline 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  well 
  

   marked 
  (if 
  not 
  exaggerated 
  ?) 
  in 
  Michelin's 
  figure, 
  and 
  which 
  is 
  

   expressed 
  by 
  M. 
  Perrier 
  in 
  the 
  words 
  " 
  sensiblement 
  carree," 
  and 
  

   become 
  narrower 
  at 
  the 
  angles 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  pores 
  are 
  placed 
  ; 
  this 
  

   is 
  perhaps 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  greater 
  development 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  pores, 
  

   of 
  which 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  seven 
  may 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  be 
  found 
  within 
  the 
  

   limits 
  of 
  one 
  area. 
  Lastly, 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  smallest 
  specimens 
  that 
  

   we 
  find 
  a 
  double 
  row 
  of 
  tubercles 
  fringing 
  the 
  adambulacral 
  spines 
  ; 
  

   in 
  aU 
  the 
  larger 
  specimens 
  the 
  row 
  is 
  single, 
  or, 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  one 
  

   row 
  of 
  tubercles 
  ceases 
  to 
  grow 
  proportionately, 
  and 
  becomes 
  ob- 
  

   scured 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  granulation 
  of 
  the 
  actinal 
  surface. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  considerable 
  point 
  of 
  difference 
  between 
  these 
  specimens 
  

   and 
  that 
  figured 
  by 
  Michelin 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  remarkable 
  coloration 
  of 
  

   his 
  specimen 
  ; 
  if, 
  however, 
  M. 
  Desjardin's 
  example 
  from 
  the 
  island 
  

   of 
  Mauritius 
  was 
  immediately 
  dried, 
  it 
  might 
  have 
  retained 
  its 
  colour 
  : 
  

   while 
  Dr. 
  Coppinger's 
  specimens, 
  which 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  spirit, 
  might 
  

   very 
  possibly 
  have 
  had 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  colouring-matter 
  dissolved 
  out. 
  

   The 
  largest 
  example 
  has 
  E 
  equal 
  to 
  50 
  miUim. 
  

  

  Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  Channel, 
  7 
  fms. 
  

  

  