510 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



common in the Bay of Fundj, &c. Tlie Molfjula producta (p. 502) also 

 occurred on the sandy mud at the 29-fatbo!n locality. 



The Ecliinoderms appear to be veay scarce on these bottoms. The 

 only one of special interest was the Molpadia ooliUca, a small, round, 

 rather slender species, about an inch and a half long, of a uniform fiesh.- 

 color. Of this only one specimen was dredged, at the 29-fathom locality, 

 fifteen miles east of No Man's Land, by Dr. Packard. It had not been 

 observed alive before, the only specimens previously known having 

 been taken from the stomachs of fishes. 



The most interesting Hydroid that lives on the muddy bottoms is 

 CorymorjiM pendula, (Plate XXXVI, fig. 273.) This is a very beautiful 

 species, which grows singly, with the bulb like base of the stem inserted 

 into the mud. 



Tv\'o interesting species of Polyps were found on the muddy bottoms. 

 One of these, the EdH-ardsiafarrnacca, occurred only on the soft muddy 

 bottom off Gay Head, in 19 fathoms. It is a cylindrical species, about 

 an inch long, and .10 or .12 of an inch in diameter, remarkable for having 

 only 12 tentacles, which are equal, unusually shorti, .thick, and blunt. 

 The coating of mud in the middle region is thin and easily removed. 



The single specimen obtained here had only 10 tentacles, but in other 

 respects it agrees essentially with those found on similar bottoms at 

 several localities in the Bay of Fundy, all of which had 12 tentacles. 

 The body is whitish or flesh-color, the naked portion below the tentacles ; 

 in the specimen from off Gay Head, was striped with 10 longitudinal 

 lines or bands of brown, corresponding with the tentacles ; these 

 bands were varied with flake-white specks and mottlings, the spots of 

 white becoming more distinct near the tentacles; these bands were 

 alternately ligliter and darker. Tentacles translucent at tip, tranversely 

 barred on the inside, with about five brown bands and spots, the lower 

 ones often V-shaped or W-shaped, and some of them extend around 

 to the outside of the tentacles ; alternating with these brown bands were 

 bars and spots of yellow and of white. The disk was pale yellow, varied 

 with small brown spots, mostly forming radiating rows from the mouth 

 to the bases of the tentacles, and there were two spots of brown between 

 the bases of adjacent tentacles ; mouth with ten lobes, which were also 

 brown, with a fine light line extending from between them to the in- 

 tervals between the tentacles. The specimens from the Bay of Fundy 

 vary considerably in color, but the above is one of the more frequent 

 •styles of coloration. 



The Episoanthus J.men'caMw.'? (Plate XXXVIII, figs. 28G, 287) is a very 

 singular species, which either lives attached to stones, as in the deeper 

 parts of the Bay of Fundy and off Saint George's Bank, in 430 fathoms, 

 or else it attaches itself to univalve shells, inhabited by hermit-crabs. 

 All those obtained in this region had the latter habit, and were from the 

 29-fathom place, fifteen miles east of Block Island, on sandy mud. 

 After one original young polyp has found lodgment and attached itself to 

 the shell, its base begins to expand over the surface of the shell, and from 



