﻿ECniNODERMATA. 
  175 
  

  

  by 
  the 
  ' 
  Challenger,' 
  Mr. 
  Alexander 
  Agassiz 
  should 
  have 
  devoted 
  one 
  

   to 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  " 
  West, 
  South, 
  and 
  North-East 
  Australia 
  — 
  New 
  

   Zealand 
  ; 
  " 
  nor 
  can 
  we 
  wonder 
  when 
  we 
  find 
  one 
  Avho, 
  ten 
  years 
  

   ago 
  (Rev. 
  Ech. 
  p. 
  230), 
  spoke 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  as 
  the 
  " 
  most 
  

   typical 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  districts," 
  saying 
  in 
  1881 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  

   Australian 
  field 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  cut 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  ludo-Pacific 
  realm." 
  It 
  

   is 
  clear 
  that 
  these 
  statements 
  oppose 
  each 
  other, 
  and 
  that 
  a 
  more 
  

   accurate 
  representation 
  of 
  the 
  facts 
  would 
  be 
  made 
  in 
  terms 
  like 
  

   the 
  following 
  : 
  — 
  The 
  species 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  and 
  north- 
  

   eastern 
  shores 
  of 
  Australia 
  have 
  a 
  wide 
  range 
  eastward 
  and 
  west- 
  

   ward, 
  but 
  gradually 
  disappear 
  as 
  we 
  pass 
  southwards. 
  

  

  Ill 
  fine, 
  an 
  Australian 
  Echinoderm-fauna, 
  as 
  conterminous 
  with 
  

   the 
  Australian 
  shores, 
  does 
  not 
  exist. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  convenient 
  for 
  the 
  student 
  if 
  I 
  sum 
  up 
  the 
  points 
  in 
  

   which 
  Dr. 
  Coppinger's 
  collections 
  have 
  most 
  advanced 
  our 
  knowledo-e. 
  

  

  Asteroidea. 
  — 
  Two 
  faunal 
  lists 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  Asteroidea 
  have 
  

   been 
  published 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  years; 
  one 
  by 
  our 
  great 
  authority 
  

   on 
  this 
  subject, 
  Professor 
  Perrier*, 
  of 
  the 
  Jardiu 
  des 
  Plantes, 
  the 
  

   other, 
  which, 
  as 
  I 
  imagine, 
  was 
  partly 
  based 
  on 
  it, 
  by 
  the 
  Rev. 
  

   J. 
  E, 
  Tenison- 
  Woods 
  f. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  difficult 
  so 
  to 
  marshal 
  the 
  

   facts 
  contained 
  in 
  these 
  essays 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  render 
  easily 
  

   intelligible 
  the 
  advances 
  now 
  made 
  in 
  our 
  knowledge 
  ; 
  this 
  is 
  

   chiefly 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  while 
  M. 
  Perrier 
  (justified, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  by 
  

   the 
  evidence 
  in 
  his 
  hands) 
  distinguished 
  between 
  the 
  fauna 
  of 
  the 
  

   northern 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  coasts 
  of 
  Australia, 
  Mr. 
  Woods 
  was 
  pre- 
  

   paring 
  a 
  list 
  which 
  should 
  be 
  of 
  use 
  to 
  the 
  Australian 
  student 
  

   generally. 
  Further 
  than 
  this, 
  the 
  present 
  collection 
  is 
  from 
  the 
  

   northern 
  and 
  the 
  eastern 
  coasts 
  of 
  Australia. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  necessary 
  to 
  give 
  all 
  the 
  steps 
  by 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  worked 
  

   out 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  how 
  far 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  

   the 
  Asteroidea 
  is 
  increased 
  by 
  the 
  present 
  collection. 
  Put 
  shortly, 
  

   we 
  find 
  that 
  while 
  Mr. 
  Woods's 
  compilation 
  was 
  of 
  value 
  as 
  givin"- 
  

   us 
  certain 
  information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  localities 
  of 
  Tosia 
  ornata, 
  which 
  was 
  

   described 
  by 
  Miiller 
  and 
  Troschel 
  from 
  an 
  unknown 
  habitat, 
  and 
  of 
  

   the 
  Patiria 
  ocelli/era 
  of 
  Gray, 
  the 
  locality 
  of 
  which 
  could 
  onlv 
  be 
  

   guessed 
  at 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  its 
  having 
  been 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  Appendix 
  

   to 
  the 
  Voyage 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  Ely,' 
  Mr. 
  Coppinger's 
  collection 
  enables 
  us 
  

   to 
  fix 
  one 
  locality 
  at 
  least 
  for 
  Anthenea 
  Jiavescens 
  and 
  Nepanthia 
  

   belcheri, 
  extends 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  Linckia 
  marmorata 
  from 
  Mauritius 
  to 
  

   Australia, 
  gives 
  more 
  southern 
  stations 
  for 
  Archaster 
  typicus 
  and 
  

   SttUaster 
  belcheri, 
  extends 
  St. 
  incei 
  westward 
  from 
  Cape 
  York 
  to 
  the 
  

   Arafura 
  Sea, 
  and 
  puts 
  in 
  Port 
  Denison 
  as 
  intermediate 
  between 
  

   Cape 
  York 
  and 
  South 
  Australia. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be, 
  perhaps, 
  useful 
  if 
  I 
  point 
  out 
  that 
  definite 
  information 
  

   is 
  still 
  wanting 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  exact 
  habitats 
  of 
  Asterias 
  fungifa-a, 
  

   Anthenea 
  acuta, 
  Ncctria 
  ocellifera, 
  Oreaster 
  aiisfralis, 
  0. 
  franjdlni 
  

   0. 
  nodalomisX, 
  Tosia 
  astrologorum, 
  and 
  T. 
  aurata. 
  It 
  is 
  hardly 
  

  

  * 
  Nouv. 
  Arch, 
  du 
  Miis. 
  (2) 
  i. 
  

  

  t 
  Philos. 
  Soc. 
  Adelaide, 
  1878-9, 
  p. 
  89. 
  

  

  \ 
  Since 
  this 
  was 
  written 
  the 
  Trustees 
  have 
  purcliased 
  two 
  epecimons 
  of 
  0. 
  

   nodulosus 
  from 
  N.W. 
  Australia, 
  

  

  