Specimens q/'Cephalodiscus nigrescens. 553 



this label agrees exactly with the labels on two other bottles 

 ill the Museuiii collection — one of which, containing a 

 specimen of Bugubi [B. reticulata, Busk), bears the words 

 "Antarctic Expedition — Admiralty — 74-5° S., 174-5° E., 

 300 tins,/' and the other, containing a Hexactinellid sponge 

 {A7ioxycahjx ijimui, Kirk.), "Antarctic Exp. — Admiralty — 

 72° S., 175^° E." 



The label on l)ottle C is evidently of more recent date than 

 those on bottles A and B. It bears the words " Antarctic 

 Exped. — Admiralty,'^ probably copied from an earlier label. 

 In a different haiulwriting are the words " No Sponge/' and 

 in a third hand are the words, written in pencil, ''Cephalo- 

 discus (Polyzoan)?" Mr. Kiikpatrick informs me that 

 these last two words are in the handwriting of Mr. S. O. 

 Ridley, who was in charge of the Polyzoa in the British 

 Museum until 1887. Credit is therefore due to Mr, Ridley 

 for his recognition, even though qualified, of a specimen of 

 Cephalodiscus so unlike the Cephalodiscus dodecalophus of 

 the ' Challenger.' 



Cephalodiscus nigrescens was first described by Lankester 

 in 1905 (4), and a luller account, by Ridewood^ was published 

 in 1907 in the reports of the National Antarctic Expedition 

 (7). The whole of the material there described was obtained 

 by the 'Discovery' in 1902 oft" Coulnian I>land, near 

 \ictoria Land, in the Ross Sea in the Antarctic Ocean, at a 

 depth of 100 fathoms. 



In connection with the three specimens of C. nigrescens 

 now under consideration, it is ot interest to note that 

 Coulman Island (about 73^ S,, 170°E) was discovered by 

 Captain Sir James Clark Ross, in charge of the 'Erebus' 

 and ' Terror' Expedition, on January 17th, 1811, when at a 

 distance of 100 miles to the west of it (8, vol. i. p. 199). On 

 January 18th soundings were taken in 230 fathoms in 73° S., 

 176° E , and small shells and pieces of coral and a Nymphon 

 were obtained. During the night they sounded again, and 

 lound a sandy bottom at a depth of 180 fathoms. Becalmed 

 oft' Coulman Island on January 19th, they put down the 

 dredge in 270 fathoms (8, p. 201), and obtained broken 

 pieces of rock, living corals, and " Corallines, Flustrce, and a 

 variety of marine invertebrate animals." They sounded 

 again on January 20th, when 25 miles off Coulman Island, 

 and some fragments of starfish and pieces of coral were got 

 from a muddy and sandy bottom (320 lathoms). On 

 January 22nd the dredge was put down on a bottom of 



