SHALLOW-WATER STARFISHES II 



and assistant with him about 1862. I am not aware that it has been 

 published. It is recorded in a diary kept by me at that time. 



He said that he had a large aquarium, at Nahant, Mass., in his 

 summer residence, I think, and placed in it a large female Solaster 

 endeca* which was carrying a cluster of eggs over the oral area. As 

 an experiment, he removed the cluster and put it at the extreme 

 opposite end of the aquarium. In a few hours the starfish found 

 the cluster and replaced it as at first. 



Mr. E. Desor (Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. in, p. n, 1848) 

 records a similar observation in the case of Henricia sanguinolenta. 



I have, personally, never had a chance to repeat this experiment, 

 for though I have dredged thousands of Solasters, it has always 

 been at the season of the year when they were not carrying eggs. 

 Such experiments should be repeated at the various permanent 

 seaside laboratories now in existence on both coasts. None existed 

 during the long period of most of my field work, except, after 1881, 

 that of the U. S. Fish Commission. 



PECULIARITIES OF THE STARFISH FAUNA OF THE NORTH- 

 WEST COAST OF AMERICA. 



The general discussion of the geographical distribution of the 

 genera and species and their relations to those of other regions must 

 be left to a final chapter. There are, however, some very peculiar 

 features of more general interest, to which it seems best to call 

 attention in this place. 



The great size of many of the species, some of which are among 

 the largest, if not the very largest species known, has already been 

 mentioned.* 



The Pycnopodia, though perhaps not the heaviest, is probably 

 the largest starfish known. It becomes at least thirty-six inches 

 broad ; and according to some collectors may be even four feet across. 



*As no one else has recorded the -carrying of eggs by Solaster, and as 

 its genital pores are described as minute and dorsal, I suspect that there 

 was an error on my part in recording the name, or on his part in giying it. 

 Perhaps Henricia was meant. 



* At least nine of the species of Asterias and allies become there over two 

 feet in diameter. Among these large species are Orthasterias Columbians 

 Ver., O. forcipulata Ver., Ev. troschelii (St.), var. rudis V., Ev. acanthostoma 

 V., Pisaster ochraceus (Br.), P. giganteus (St.), P. liitkenii (St.), P. papulosus 

 Ver., Pycnopodia helianthoides (Br.). Luidia foliolata becomes about as 

 large. 



