26o VERRILL 



A typical Atlantic specimen, of medium size, has the radii 30 mm. 

 and 55 mm., but the proportions vary considerably. Rays thirteen, 

 tapered, acute. The whole upper surface is covered with rather 

 large, unequal, elevated, spaced pencils or conical tufts of slender, 

 elongated spinules, more or less divergent, pointed, forming rather 

 high pseudopaxillae. Superomarginal plates small, not easily dis- 

 tinguishable; lower ones larger, well defined, spaced, bearing large 

 tufts of spinules. Actinal spinules mostly lacking. Furrow-series 

 of adambulacral spines consists of four or five slender subequal 

 spines on each plate. The transverse comb has six or seven longer, 

 slender, acute spines. The four apical adoral spines are long and 

 pretty stout; they are flanked on each side by about six slender 

 graded spines. 



In life this is a very beautiful species. The color in life is usually 

 light red or pale orange, with the tips of the rays bright red ; under 

 side, light yellow. It sometimes becomes nearly a foot in diameter. 



The Pacific specimen figured (pi. viii, figs, i, 2; pi. ix, fig. 4) was 

 taken in Berg Bay, at 10 fathoms, June 10, 1899 (W. R. Coe, Harri- 

 man Expedition). According to Dr. Coe's notes it was, in life: 

 " Pale yellow, with a horseshoe-shaped red spot on the middle of the 

 disk, and several small pale pink spots on the rays." 



Its radii are 16 mm. and 30 mm., in alcohol. In all essential 

 characters it agrees well with the Atlantic specimens of similar size. 

 It has the tufts of spinules of the pseudopaxillae on the dorsal surface 

 expanded and mostly divergent, so that the tufts appear broader and 

 more stellate than in dry specimens. The papulae are small, rather 

 numerous, mostly standing singly, or two together, on the wide papu- 

 lar areas, around the pseudopaxillae. 



This species varies much in appearance, according to the mode of 

 preservation. Owing to the feeble skeleton, it is apt to become 

 flaccid and soft in drying, while the dorsal spinules may droop to one 

 side, or collapse, so as to give very unnatural appearances. The 

 number of rays varies from nine to fourteen, but they are usually ten 

 to twelve. 



This species is circumpolar and has a very extensive geographical 

 range. It extends southward on the European coasts to Scandinavia, 

 Ireland, Great Britain, and France. It is known from Greenland, 

 Iceland, Spitzbergen, Barents Sea, East Siberia, etc. It extends 

 southward to Cape Cod, and beyond, in deep water, on the American 

 side. It is not uncommon in the Bay of Fundy on the shore, on stony 

 or nuUipore bottoms, at very low tides, where I have often taken 



