64 Mr. Moxtac v's Description of Marine Animals 



those of my friends within my reach, possess, in figure or descrip- 

 tion any thing representing the object in question. 



The Nereis is a very numerous class, and, doubtless, a variety 

 /new species might be added ; but the great difficulty of defin- 

 t the extinction* of some of those already described make* it 

 Mill more difficult to determine what might be added: 1 submit, 

 hoover, the description of four, whose specific marks are suffi- 

 ciently strong to induce me to believe that they are new. 



To this list of marine animals 1 shall only add one other, and 

 that of the genus Asterias. 



In ,1ns genus I have not been able to discover mne h new ma - 

 ,er bnt am inclined to believe the species, at least those of Bn- 

 ,', origin, have been already multiplied beyond it. natural 

 „ ,, as no doubt, several described by Borlase, and a ter- 

 2 ds "b" Pennant and orimrs, for distinct, (upon the authontyof 

 etnfer,) are on, v varieties of a single spee.es, the A . aculeaK 

 The one which I have described is of so mriraord.nary a growth 

 with respect to the disproportion between its arms and body , ha 

 it cannot be confounded with an, other spec.es and I suspect 

 L no" been described ; a, least nothing like .t has come to my 



kn H W avm S g e thus enumerated the subjects described and figured in 

 ,l, e accompanying sheets, I beg leave to submit them, wUh d.ffi- 

 d nee to that Society of which I have the honour of be.ng a 

 memben not doubting but the efforts of au indiv.dual ,„ e uc.da.e 

 Toy par of natural history, and in particular that of h.s own 

 country, will be received with those indulgences to winch a re- 

 mote situation from the metropolis and vortex of knowledge may 

 „ some degree entitle him, as few private librar.es are capable o, 

 afforlg sufficient information on the various subjects so neces- 

 sary to the natural historian. & 



