196 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
with beads. I was unable to make out any regular relation in 
position between these and the other sorts of caleareous spic- 
ules. 
All this seems to be rather an elaborate set of contrivances 
merely to give a roughness to the surface which enables the 
animal to secure a purchase on the bottom over which it crawls; 
but it certainly ‘‘does the business,’’ as any one who has 
watehed them when alive can testify. I suppose nature has 
plenty of time at her disposal and it almost seems that at times 
she gives an almost needless finish or daintiness to her work as 
if she did it for the sake of turning out a fine piece of handi- 
craft. This thought has often been almost subconsciously in 
the writer’s mind while studying the wonderfully beautiful and 
intricate patterns of the spicules of the gorgonians ‘‘each after 
its own kind,’’ or the elegant chalices of the campanularian 
hydroids. So often it appears that there is a lavishment of 
dainty patterns far in excess of purely utilitarian ends, that it 
seems as if nature or some sentient creative power did it ‘‘for 
His own pleasure.”’ 
But this is all moonshine of course and not at all scientific, 
more akin indeed to the iridescent dreams of the poet than the 
sane conceptions of the systematic zoologist, but even he must 
break over the traces at times and give the rein to faney. 
The following notes are quoted verbatim from Dr. Fisher. 
Holothuria surinamensis Ludwig. A very sluggish species 
found under rocks at English Harbor Point, on the sheltered or 
bay side close to the place where the mauve Porites was very 
common. This form was living in such a way that the body was 
surrounded by stones, or sometimes but not always, by stones 
and sand. We always found them in a few inches of water 
and not totally uncovered as at Barbados. In the aquaria this 
species was fairly active, but not nearly so much so as the big 
synaptid Huapta. The water in which they live is very shallow 
and becomes quite warm from the sun at low tide when there is 
no circulation. From this species two kinds of Fierasfer were 
recovered. These came out in a jar in which four or five holo- 
thurians (all of this species) were being narcotized with MgSO:. 
Holothuria mexicana. A large, very dark brown, almost 
black species with small pedicels and papille which was very 
