PREFACE. 



It was originally intended that the Ophiurida3 of the ''' Albatross" 

 Expedition should be studied by only one of the present authors. The 

 eminent American speciahst in Ophiurans, Theodore Lyman, to whom the 

 task would naturally have fallen, was ill; and it was undertaken by Professor 

 Liitken. Having made a preliminary determination and description of 

 ahiiost all the new species, he saw that he should not have time to do 

 the w^ork thoroughly, and, with the permission of Mr. Agassiz, the other 

 author. Dr. Th. Mortensen, w^as engaged, and we have accomplished it 

 together. The figures w^ere drawn by Dr. Mortensen except Figure 8, in 

 Plate XX., and Plates XXI. and XXII., which were drawn by Mr. Bentzen- 

 Bilkvist, who also lithographed all the figures. We cannot conclude our 

 work without offering him our best thanks, as wuthout his eminent skill the 

 plates w^ould have been far inferior to what they have now become. Much 

 stress has been laid upon making the figures as correct and as distinct as 



J ■ 



possible. Every one who has to determine Ophiurans knows what trouble 

 bad figures give. Moreover, wlienever w^e have found details which are not 

 sufficiently distinct or correct in the figures, it has always been noted in the 

 description of the species figured. We hope, therefore, that it will be 

 comparatively easy to recognize the s^oecies here described. 



We have given a list of the papers on Oj^hiurids published subsequently 

 to Lyman's Monograph in 1882; and finally we have enumerated all the 

 new species with references to the works in w^hich they are described. We 

 think that this will be of some value to those who are working on 

 Ophiurids. 



The Auxnoiis. 



Copenhagen^ May, 1898. 



__ Jir^irr-j^i-^ ^^1- 



