Dr. S. Lovdn on Ilyponome Sarsii. 159 



and naturalized, rarely or never bear flowers, or, if they do bear 

 flowers, tlicse never produce seed. But no one doubts that 

 it is a general law of nature that phanerogamic plants sliould 

 produce flowers, and tliat these flowers should produce seed. 

 When tliey fail to do this, we believe tliat such plants would 

 perforin their proper functions under different conditions, or 

 that they formerly did so and will do so again. On analogical 

 grounds I believe that the few orchids which do not now inter- 

 cross, either did formerly intercross (the means for eff'ecting 

 this being still retained) or that they will do so at some 

 future period under diftcrent conditions, unless, indeed, they 

 become extinct from the evil effects of long-continued close 

 interbreeding;. 



XVII. — Note on Hyponome Sarsi, a recent Cystidean. 

 By S. LOVEN*. 



The general appearance of this very remarkable Echinodcrin 

 is that of a small starfish or a Euryalid. It has a disk, con- 

 vex on the ventral surface, flattened on the dorsal, and five 

 short and broad rays ; each of these is divided into two short 

 dichotomous branches, terminating in four very short rounded 

 lobes. As in the recent Q^QWdYnAntedon and PenfacrinuSj a large, 

 conical, proboscis-like funnel rises in one of the inteiTadial spaces 

 of the ventral sm'face of the disk ; and from a point situated 

 a little before the centre of the same surface five narrow chan- 

 nels, protected by marginal scales, radiate and, bifurcating 

 thrice, run out on the rays and their branches, giving off" short 

 branchlets to certain sacculate protuberances placed at regular 

 distances. No pinnute. On the protuberances and on the 

 rays the channels are open ; but upon the disk, between their 

 first bifurcation and their common starting-point, their mar- 

 ginal scales close over them, forming a vault, so that the five 

 channels are converted into covered ducts, converging into a 

 common subcentral aperture, concealed beneath the integument, 

 and not visible from the outside. In the covered parts of the 

 channels I found masses, consisting of microscopic Crustacea, 

 larval bivalves, and other remains of the food of the animal, 

 apparently taken through the ends and open parts of the 

 channels, and on its way, through their covered parts, to the 

 concealed mouth. On the rays, near their tips, are seen some 

 few pores, perhaps indicating the existence of retractile organs. 

 The ventral surface is clothed witli rather small, thick-set, 



* We are indebted to the Author for the communication of this trans- 

 lation from ' Forliandlinj^er ved do Skandinavi.ske Naturforskeres tiendo 

 Mode, i Christianin," July 18G8. 



12* 



