﻿156 
  COLLECTIONS 
  FROM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  differ 
  in 
  comparatively 
  unimportant 
  details, 
  of 
  a 
  kind 
  which 
  are 
  

   probably 
  adaptive. 
  

  

  (jS) 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  marked 
  tendency 
  to 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  

   number 
  of 
  short 
  cirri 
  *. 
  

  

  (y) 
  And 
  ten 
  species 
  have 
  lost 
  the 
  cirri 
  altogether. 
  

  

  (?) 
  Of 
  the 
  eleven 
  species 
  the 
  formula 
  of 
  no 
  two 
  is 
  exactly 
  the 
  

   same. 
  

  

  1. 
  Antedon 
  adeonae. 
  

  

  Comatula 
  adeonse, 
  /. 
  Milller, 
  Gattung 
  Comatula, 
  p. 
  15 
  1. 
  

  

  A 
  white 
  line, 
  which 
  extends 
  along 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  radials, 
  the 
  

   rest 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  reddish 
  purple, 
  is 
  continued 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  though 
  

   varying 
  distance 
  along 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  arms. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  curious 
  error 
  in 
  connexion 
  with 
  this 
  species 
  which 
  

   does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  noticed. 
  Lamarck 
  described 
  it 
  as 
  

   " 
  C. 
  radilS 
  pinnatis 
  denis 
  &c. 
  ;" 
  de 
  Blainville, 
  while 
  quoting 
  Lamarck, 
  

   refers 
  also 
  to 
  his 
  own 
  figures 
  in 
  his 
  ' 
  Atlas 
  ' 
  (pi. 
  xxvi.) 
  ; 
  in 
  this 
  

   reference 
  he 
  is 
  followed 
  by 
  J. 
  Miiller 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  editors 
  of 
  the 
  

   second 
  edition 
  of 
  Lamarck. 
  The 
  figures, 
  however, 
  when 
  referred 
  to 
  

   are 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  those 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  with 
  twenty 
  arms 
  and 
  with 
  cirri 
  

   nearer 
  thirty 
  than 
  twenty. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  perhaps 
  necessary 
  at 
  this 
  

   distance 
  of 
  time 
  to 
  waste 
  time 
  in 
  inquiring 
  what 
  species 
  it 
  is 
  that 
  

   de 
  Blainville 
  has 
  there 
  figured. 
  

  

  Port 
  Curtis 
  and 
  Port 
  Denison. 
  

  

  2. 
  Antedon 
  milberti. 
  

   Comatula 
  (Alecto) 
  milberti, 
  J. 
  Miiller, 
  p. 
  19. 
  

  

  The 
  rich 
  supply 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  collection 
  % 
  amply 
  

   justifies 
  the 
  doubts 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Carpenter 
  has 
  expressed 
  to 
  me 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  exactness 
  of 
  the 
  locality 
  (North 
  America) 
  ascribed 
  by 
  Miiller 
  to 
  

   this 
  species. 
  

  

  Port 
  MoUe 
  ; 
  Port 
  Denison 
  ; 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  Channel 
  ; 
  Torres 
  

   Straits. 
  

  

  3. 
  Antedon 
  pinniformis. 
  

  

  P. 
  H. 
  Carpenter, 
  Notes 
  Lexjd. 
  Mus. 
  iii. 
  p. 
  180. 
  

   Dundas 
  Strait, 
  N.W. 
  Australia. 
  

  

  * 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  know 
  at 
  present, 
  c 
  rarely 
  appears 
  i 
  i 
  the 
  formula 
  of 
  an 
  AcHno- 
  

   metra 
  ; 
  in 
  words, 
  the 
  cirri 
  are 
  rarely 
  very 
  numerous 
  (more 
  than 
  30) 
  or 
  very 
  long 
  

   (with 
  more 
  than 
  40 
  joints). 
  

  

  t 
  The 
  essay 
  on 
  Comatula, 
  the 
  pagination 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  here 
  quoted 
  from 
  its 
  

   separate 
  copy, 
  was 
  published 
  in 
  1849 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Abhandl.' 
  of 
  the 
  Academy 
  of 
  

   Berlin 
  for 
  1847, 
  where 
  it 
  occupies 
  pp. 
  237-265. 
  

  

  \ 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  well 
  represented 
  in 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  P. 
  Eamsay's, 
  of 
  the 
  

   Australian 
  Museum, 
  Sydney. 
  

  

  