THE wx.vr.s 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



[SrXTH SERIES.] 

 No. 62. FEBRUARY 1893, 



XV. — Natural History Notes from H.M. Indian Marine Survejf 

 Steamer ^ Investigator^^ Gomnumder G. F. Oldham, R.N., 

 commanding. — Series II., No. 1, An Account of the Gollec- 

 tion of Deep-sea Asteroidea. Bj A. Alcock, M.B., 

 Surgeon-Captain I.M.S., late Naturalist to the Survey. 



[Plates IV. -VI.] 



§ 1. Introduction. 



The Starfishes to be described in the sequel have been 

 dredged since the year 1885, all in water over 100 fathoms, 

 most in water over 200 fathoms, and very nearly half in 

 water over 1000 fathoms deep. A large collection of littoral 

 and shallow-water forms has also been made, but these are 

 not here considered. If it be thought objectionable to have 

 separated the deep-water from the shallow-water forms, it 

 may be urged in justification that within the limits of Indian 

 seas, so far as our experience at present goes, there is no 

 instance of the two sections overlapping, and, on another 

 ground, that almost nothing has been published, and nothing 

 else is promised, about the extremely interesting Asteroidea 

 of the deeper waters of India. Of the basins into wliich 

 these waters may conveniently be divided the Bay of Bengal 

 proper — the basin best explored by the dredge so far — gives 

 us the smallest number of unknown species. Beyond the 

 Ann. (fe Mag, N. Hist. Set. 6. Vol. xi. 6 



