﻿146 
  COLLECTIONS 
  FROM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  26. 
  Euryale 
  aspera, 
  Laml: 
  

   Lyvian, 
  p. 
  43. 
  

  

  (a) 
  One 
  specimen, 
  Port 
  MoUe, 
  12 
  fms. 
  ; 
  bottom, 
  rock 
  and 
  sand 
  : 
  

   of 
  a 
  dark 
  black 
  colour. 
  

  

  (6) 
  Several 
  specimens. 
  Port 
  Curtis 
  : 
  all 
  lighter 
  in 
  colour. 
  

  

  HOLOTHUEOIDEA. 
  

  

  A 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  specimens 
  belonging 
  to 
  less 
  than 
  twenty 
  

   species 
  were 
  collected, 
  Colocliirus 
  tuberculosus 
  being 
  extremely 
  well 
  

   represented 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  rarer 
  or 
  less 
  well-known 
  species, 
  un- 
  

   fortunately, 
  a 
  single 
  representative 
  was 
  often 
  all 
  that 
  was 
  obtained, 
  

   so 
  that 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  conclusions 
  have 
  been 
  arrived 
  at 
  which 
  cannot 
  

   be 
  regarded 
  as 
  any 
  thing 
  more 
  than 
  provisional. 
  Where 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  specimens 
  were 
  collected, 
  or 
  where 
  the 
  species 
  was 
  already 
  repre- 
  

   sented 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  evidence 
  was 
  frequently 
  obtained 
  as 
  

   to 
  the 
  wide 
  extent 
  of 
  variation 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  ap])arent 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  has 
  especially 
  made 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  discrimination 
  an 
  

   anxious 
  and 
  difficult 
  one. 
  Other 
  difficulties 
  were 
  presented 
  by 
  the 
  

   extreme 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  integument 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  and 
  our 
  

   slight 
  knowledge 
  of 
  tlie 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  group. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  

   hand, 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  bibliographical 
  research 
  has 
  been 
  but 
  slight, 
  the 
  

   three 
  more 
  important 
  workers 
  at 
  the 
  group 
  (Professors 
  Semper, 
  

   Selenka, 
  and 
  Ludwig*), 
  having 
  published 
  works 
  of 
  remarkable 
  ex- 
  

   actness 
  and 
  care. 
  

  

  The 
  arrangement 
  followed 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  Prof. 
  Semper. 
  

  

  1. 
  Synapta 
  grisea. 
  

  

  Semper, 
  Hoi. 
  p. 
  11. 
  

  

  The 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  single 
  specimen 
  did 
  not 
  admit 
  of 
  an 
  anato- 
  

   mical 
  investigation, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  calcareous 
  ring 
  

   were 
  not 
  discovered; 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  anchoring-plates 
  is, 
  however, 
  

   exactly 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  described 
  by 
  Semper 
  under 
  this 
  name. 
  

   That 
  the 
  species 
  has 
  a 
  wide 
  distribution 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  shown 
  

   by 
  its 
  presence 
  in 
  this 
  collection, 
  and 
  by 
  its 
  being 
  represented 
  by 
  a 
  

   specimen 
  from 
  the 
  Indian 
  Ocean 
  in 
  the 
  Loyden 
  Museum 
  f. 
  

  

  Fitzroy 
  Island, 
  Queensland. 
  

  

  2. 
  Cucumaria 
  maculata. 
  

   Semper, 
  Hoi. 
  p. 
  47. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  external 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  single 
  specimen 
  one 
  would 
  

   hardly 
  be 
  led 
  to 
  associate 
  it 
  with 
  this 
  species 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  

  

  * 
  Dr. 
  Tbeel's 
  work 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  touch 
  the 
  present 
  coUoctiou. 
  

   t 
  See 
  Ludwig, 
  Notes 
  Leyd. 
  Mus. 
  iv. 
  p. 
  128. 
  

  

  