8 GOES, RETICULARIAN RHIZOPODA OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA. 



ranging these synonymic lists the shrewd and expert indications of those authors have 

 in great measure been consulted, still a great deal of incorrectness and incomplete- 

 ness may be found by further criticism, for if oftentimes it becomes almost impos- 

 sible to identify stunted and deformed specimens of this class, it is a still more ar- 

 duous task to recogni/e more or less defective delineations of them. Other designa- 

 tions of species besides those represented by figures are not touched upon, as those 

 which are merely recorded, usually lie beyond the limits of scientific jurisdiction. 

 This review is intended to give a synopsis of the principal varieties and at the same 

 time a statement of the range of their geographical and geological distribution. 



Not many years ago the Caribbean sea-bed was little more than a terra in- 

 cognita to biological science. While staying for a few years in the Island of St. 

 Bartholomew, one of the Lesser Antilles, I took the opportunity during 1866 and 

 1869 to make several dredging excursions. But being provided with only a very 

 scanty and primitive equipment I was not able to explore greater depths than 400 

 fathoms. The principal stations were between St. Bartholomew and St. Eustatius; to 

 the leeward of St. Martin and Angvilla; and windward off the eastern keys of the 

 Virgin Islands. The bottom-deposit designated as Globigerina- or Chalk-oo/e was met 

 with between 250 and 400 fathoms chiefly at the second station, the rough Coralline 

 gravel at the first and third stations in 300 fathoms. 



In 1868 the United States began to extend their coast-survey into the Caribbean 

 sea and on several occasions since have renewed their exploring expeditions on a large 

 scale combined with researches on the fauna of the sea-bed. The beautiful results of 

 these explorations, for which we are indebted chiefly to the unremitting exertions of 

 the lamented eminent American naturalist Count de POURTA^ES, have been made known 

 during the last decade principally through the Catalogue and Bulletin of the Museum of 

 Comparative Zoology, Harvard College, Cambridge Massachusetts. 



The Challenger's famous expedition has also largely contributed to our knowledge 

 of these localities. 



My own more modest collections have been partly reviewed by Professor S. LOVEN, 

 Professor G. LINDSTROM, Dr. A. LJUNGMAN and Professor G. O. SARS. 



The following are the more important papers dealing with this local fauna: 

 1870 71: Crustacea by W. STIMPSON: Bulletin Mus. cornpar. xool. Harvard Col- 

 lege. 2. p. 109. 

 1871: Deep-sea Corals by DE POURTALES. Illustr. Catalogue Mus. compar. zool. 



Harvard College, N:o 4. 



Brachiopoda by W. H. I) ALT,: Bullet. Mus. compar. zool. Harv. Coll, 3. p. 1. 

 Ophiuridea, by A. LJUNGMAN: Ofversigt af Kgl. Vet. Ak. Haridlirigar p. 615. 

 Cumacea by G. 0. SARS, ibid. p. 803. 



Bryozoa by F. A. SMITT: Kgl. Vet. Ak. Handl. (n. s.) 10, N:o 11; 11, N:o 4. 

 1874: Etudes sur les Eckino'idees par S. LOVEN: Kgl. Vet. Ak. Handl. (n. s.) 11, 



No: 7. 



Echini, Crinoids, Corals by AL. AGASSIZ and DE POURTALES: Illustr. Catal. 

 Mus. cornp. zool. Harv. Coll. N:o 8. 1. 



