216 Miscellaneous. 



made the first contribution in the shape of the group of Coots, as 

 stated in the Notice, but, according to my recollection, it was the only 

 one during the period of my Keepership, the work on the Catalogue 

 and the increase and care of the sfttcZy-collection occupying the 

 whole of his time. Albeet Gunther. 



On the Nomenclature of Echinoderms. 



To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 



Gentlemen, — Having written in your pages of late on the nomen- 

 clature of various Echinoderms, perhaps I may be permitted to 

 express cordial agreement with the paper by Dr. Th. Mortensen in 

 your January number. On two points only would I comment. 



Dr. Mortensen does not see the necessity for working out the 

 history of each name, since the proposed decision " is to be made 

 against history." The reason why the adjudicating Committee 

 should have all the facts before it is that a decision made, on the 

 advice of one set of specialists, to escape evils in one group of 

 animals, might lead to worse evils in another group. Hence com- 

 plaints, wrangling, and further arbitrary decisions. 



The important point emphasized by Dr. Mortensen is that the 

 name must be fixed by reference to a genotype ; but it will also be 

 necessary to fix the holotype of the genotype. This was made clear 

 by the recent discussion on Cidaris in these pages. 



Yours faithfully, 



Natural History Museum, F. A. Bathee. 



7th Jan., 1910. 



Note on the Occurrence of Hippolyte gracilis {Heller) in the British 

 Area. By A. 0. Walkee, F.L.S., F.Z.S. 



When dredging on the Zostera banks at Worthing on Sept. 30th 

 last, at a depth of about 6 feet I took two specimens of this Medi- 

 terranean species. So far as I know it has not been recorded 

 before in the British Area proper, which does not include the 

 Channel Islands, from which I reported a specimen taken by 

 Mr. James Hornell in Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 7, vol. iii. (1899) 

 p. 148. The specimens were associated with H. varians, Leach, 

 and are now in the British Museum, where they have also been 

 identified by Dr. W. T. Caiman. 



