Dr. J. E. Gray on Bed-Sea Echinoderms. 115 



XVI. — List of Echinodenns collected hy Robert M' Andrew, 

 Esq.jF.R.S., in the Oulf of Suez in the Red Sea. By Dr. 

 J. E. Gray, F.R.S. &c> 



Savigny, who accompanied tlie French Expedition to Egypt, 

 drew and engraved in the most beautiful and elaborate style 

 the Echinoderms that were collected during that Expedition. 



They form part of the plates of the magnificent imperial 

 but most useless work that is usually called the great work 

 on Egypt. This work, though published at the commencement 

 of the present century, is hardly known to scientific zoologists, 

 and is rarely to be seen out of the great public libraries. So 

 much is this the case, that on my showing the details of a 

 species figured in it to a well-known Scandinavian zoologist, 

 he inquired what work it was, he had never seen or even heard 

 of its existence. 



There are many species figured in the zoological portion of 

 it that are as yet unknown and unnamed ; and many of the 

 microscopic peculiarities of the species that are there figured 

 are being every now and then produced as modern discoveries ; 

 and there are yet others still to be described as new. 



It is truly a "Avork of luxury" and not for scientific 

 utility, though it contains, as I have observed, most accurate 

 details Avhich were far in advance of the scientific knowledge 

 of the period, and in some respects of the present timet j hut 

 the great expense of the work and its immense size have 

 rendered it almost a closed book to scientific men. 



Unfortunately M. Savigny became blind before he was able 

 to complete the descriptions of the animals and refer to the 

 details on the plates of the Echinoderms ; indeed he only pub- 

 lished the descriptions of the Annelides and the Ascidia. 



Professor Victor Audouin published an " Explication som- 

 maire des planches des Echinodermes " and other divisions of 

 the animal kingdom that had been drawn and engraved under 

 Savigny's directions. 



Unfortunately he does not seem to have had at his disposal 

 the original specimens figured for sheet 1 ; and he observes, 

 " En comparant les figures ], 2, et 3 aux esp^ces representees 



* This manuscript was prepared and written soon after Mr. M'Andrew's 

 return ; but being left on my writing-table during my temporary illness, 

 it was carefully put away by my attendant, along with a quantity of 

 manuscripts on iiats (wliere it was not looked for), and was only acciden- 

 tally found a few weeks ago. — J. E. G. 



t This is particularly the case with the Sponges, the texture of the 

 mass and the spicules of each species as seen under the microscope being 

 exhibited in detail. 



