Narrative of Bahama Expedition. 53 



vey any adec|u:ite idea of their real beauty when fresh from 

 the water, the most conspicuous having a deep red body-color, 

 reheved by the bright yellow blunt spines arranged in s}'m- 

 metrical patterns over the surface. Others present various 

 shades of red, deepening into a rich maroon, alternating with 

 orange and yellow. The natives of the Bahamas have a way 

 of preserving these specimens dried, and sell them so cheaply 

 that, for ordinary cabinet specimens, it hardly pays the scieii- 

 titic collector to take the time to drv them, even if he knows 

 how to do so successfully. 



A species of Archastcr and one of E c li hut n thus were abund- 

 ant echinoderms. Of course quite an assemblage of serpent- 

 stars were secured. A haul is almost never made without 

 bringing up some of these animals, which appear to be practi- 

 cally omnipresent in West Indian waters. A very prettily 

 marked little species of Ophiocantha was noticeable from the 

 fact that it uniformly possessed six rays, a not very common 

 feature in this group. Two species of Ophiotlin'.x were 

 secured, one of which had very large, jagged spines, thickly 

 matted over the entire dorsal surface of the disk. AW of the 

 ophiurans secured here were of small size, and not so abun- 

 dant as in other regions where we dredged. 



Sea-urchins, curiously enough, were scarce on these tiats, 

 although one would think the region particularly favorable to 

 this form of life. Echinanthiis rosaccus was secured in abun- 

 dance. Like most of its relatives, it seems to flourish best on 

 a sandy bottom. 



Gorgonians of various kinds were common. Hydroids of 

 several species were found clinging to all sorts of objects 

 brought up by the dredge. A species of Halcciiiin exhibited 

 a new style of gonangium for this family, the reproductive 

 calicles being oval and surmounted by a very conspicuous 

 acrocyst. The gonangia contain ova, and each acrocyst con- 

 tains a single developing medusa. 



Another, a beautiful little campanularian, with tubular h3-dro- 

 thecai, has a cfonanijium with regular corru";ations. and a well 

 marked collar and lid. Three sertularians belonging to the 



