142 THE BERMUDA ISLANDS. 



almost wholly wanting on the ventral surface, and no mention 

 is made of their occurrence there by Larnpert in his revision 

 of the species of the genus (op. cit., p. 108). Moreover, Semper 

 affirms that the body is devoid of wart-like tubercles, whereas 

 such are quite prominent in the Bermudian form, although 

 not as prominent as in Stichopus diaboli. Theel, however, 

 makes no mention of the occurrence of tubercles in his single 

 specimen, but probably through contraction in alcohol their 

 existence had been effaced. The number of pedicels in each 

 transverse row seems also to be much more numerous in the 

 Bermudian species than in Stichopus Mobii. 



Another apparently related form is Stichopus errans of 

 Ludwig (Arbeiten zoolog. zootom. Inst., Wurzburg, 1875, p. 97), 

 described from a specimen in the Hamburg Museum, reputed 

 to have come from the Barbados. But in this species there 

 appear likewise to be no lateral tubercles, nor is the coloring 

 like that of our species, although in this regard there may be 

 considerable variation. The number of tentacles is stated by 

 Ludwig to be 19, and their color yellow. The form from the 

 Barbados which is somewhat doubtfully referred by Thel (loc. 

 cit., p. 191) to Ludwig's S. errans would seem to be more nearly 

 related to the Bermudian species. 



ASTEROIDEA. 



We obtained but a single species of star-fish on the Ber- 

 mudian coast. This is the Asterias Atlantica of Verrill, a form 

 which had already been previously noted from the Bermudas 

 (Trans. Conn. Acad. Sciences, i, p. 368), and whose range 

 extends to the Abrolhos Reef, Brazil. With very few excep- 

 tions the rays were either six or eight in number, and of the 

 total number of individuals examined I believe that not over 

 two had five arms. The species exhibits a marked want of 

 constancy in ornamentation and coloring, the dorsal spines 

 being in some cases acute, while in others they are terminated 

 by a minute bead ; again, while the maculation is brown in 



