﻿170 
  COLLECTIONS 
  FROM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  bracliials 
  have 
  the 
  sides 
  pretty 
  even, 
  the 
  

   succeeding 
  are 
  very 
  distinctly 
  wedge-shaped, 
  and 
  the. 
  distal 
  edge 
  

   becomes 
  faintly 
  denticulated. 
  Further 
  out 
  the 
  wedge 
  becomes 
  wider, 
  

   and 
  the 
  denticulation 
  disappears. 
  

  

  Syzygies 
  3, 
  10, 
  14 
  ; 
  then 
  about 
  three 
  joints 
  between 
  each. 
  The 
  

   pinnules 
  generally 
  are 
  delicate 
  and 
  short, 
  the 
  first 
  rather 
  the 
  

   longest. 
  

  

  Arms 
  not 
  very 
  long, 
  thin 
  ; 
  cirri 
  about 
  10 
  mm. 
  long; 
  disk 
  as 
  much 
  

   as 
  30 
  mm. 
  in 
  diameter, 
  Ovving 
  to 
  the 
  extensive 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  

   interradial 
  plating 
  which 
  extends 
  to 
  the 
  distichal 
  axillaries. 
  

  

  Colour 
  yellowish 
  green 
  with 
  darker 
  spots, 
  patches, 
  or 
  lines 
  ; 
  the 
  

   ends 
  of 
  the 
  arms 
  and 
  the 
  lower 
  surface 
  darker, 
  or 
  the 
  upper 
  surface 
  

   may 
  be 
  of 
  a 
  pale 
  flesh-colour. 
  

  

  Thursday 
  Island. 
  

  

  28. 
  Actinometra, 
  sp. 
  juv. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  very 
  possible 
  that 
  a 
  young 
  specimen 
  from 
  Dundas 
  Strait 
  be- 
  

   longs 
  to 
  a 
  species, 
  A. 
  piirjmrea, 
  of 
  which 
  a 
  single 
  example 
  is 
  alone 
  

   known 
  ; 
  and 
  that, 
  as 
  llr. 
  Carpenter 
  informs 
  me, 
  is 
  in 
  rather 
  bad 
  

   condition. 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  hoped 
  that 
  further 
  exploration 
  will 
  result 
  

   in 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  more 
  representatives 
  of 
  this 
  incompletely 
  known 
  

   form. 
  

  

  General 
  Remarks 
  on 
  Distribtttion. 
  

  

  After 
  concluding 
  the 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  Echinoderms 
  collected 
  in 
  the 
  

   Australian 
  seas 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Coppinger, 
  I 
  arrived 
  at 
  certain 
  results, 
  which 
  

   it 
  is 
  unnecessary 
  now 
  to 
  state 
  ; 
  for 
  mj 
  views 
  have 
  since 
  been 
  pro- 
  

   foundly 
  modified 
  by 
  what 
  I 
  have 
  since 
  learnt 
  from 
  a 
  closer 
  study 
  of 
  

   the 
  marine 
  fauna 
  of 
  Port 
  Jackson 
  than 
  was 
  possible 
  with 
  the 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  scanty 
  material 
  that 
  was 
  in 
  mjr 
  hands 
  two 
  years 
  ago, 
  when 
  

   the 
  body 
  of 
  this 
  Report 
  was 
  being 
  framed. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  learnt 
  since, 
  thanks 
  to 
  the 
  opportunities 
  afforded 
  me 
  by 
  

   arrangements 
  made 
  with 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  P. 
  Eamsay, 
  the 
  Curator 
  of 
  the 
  

   Australian 
  Museum, 
  Sydney, 
  what 
  are 
  the 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  Port- 
  

   Jackson 
  fauna, 
  and 
  what 
  is 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  its 
  resemblance 
  to 
  that 
  

   of 
  Port 
  Molle 
  and 
  Torres 
  Straits. 
  

  

  I 
  have, 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  place, 
  learnt 
  that 
  no 
  view 
  can 
  be 
  more 
  erroneous 
  

   than 
  one 
  which 
  speaks 
  of 
  an 
  Australian 
  (marine) 
  fauna 
  without 
  

   some 
  sort 
  of 
  qualification 
  ; 
  Cape 
  York 
  and 
  Port 
  MoDe 
  are 
  as 
  much 
  

   part 
  of 
  Australia 
  as 
  Port 
  Jackson, 
  but 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  faunae 
  the 
  

   resemblance 
  is 
  as 
  slight 
  as 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  things 
  possible. 
  

  

  This 
  statement 
  is 
  abundantly 
  proved 
  by 
  the 
  first 
  two 
  tables 
  of 
  

   distribution 
  which 
  I 
  now 
  give, 
  and 
  which 
  are 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  27 
  Echi- 
  

   nids 
  and 
  16 
  Ophiurids 
  from 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  Sydney 
  Museum. 
  

  

  