CATALOGUE OF THE POLYZOA 
COLLECTED DURING THE DUTCH NORTH-POLAR CRUISES OF THE 
“WILLEM BARENTS” 
in the years 1878 and 1879. 
BY 
Dr. W. J. VIGELIUS 
or DORDRECHT (HOLLAND). 
About a year ago I was engaged by the then acting Zoological 
committee of the Dutch north-polar Expeditions to study and deter- 
mine the Polyzoa, collected by the zoologists Dr. Sluiter (at present 
at Batavia) and Mr. van Lidth de Jeude Doct. philos. (of Utrecht) 
during the expeditions of the “Willem Barents’’ in the years 1878 
and 1879. 
It was with great pleasure that I accepted this honourable task, 
expecting to be able to publish afterward a biological memoir on 
the arctie forms of this interesting group of animals and to com- 
plete in this manner the splendid writings of Smitt, Hincks, Busk 
and other able observers. However on examining the materials, 
I was much disappointed in this regard, as in the first place the 
species found appeared to be not very considerable in number and 
in the second place as only a few interesting forms among them 
could be discovered. 
Besides I was obliged in consequence of the bad state of con- 
servation to desist from my plan of studying exactly the anatomical 
and histological structure of the polypide in the marine forms and 
of investigating speeially those points in the anatomy of the Poly- 
zoa, that are still doubtful and disputed (details of the nervous 
system, colonial nervous system of Fritz Müller, the brown-body &e.). 
VIGELIUS, Polyzoa. [7 
