106 Dr. P. H. Carpenter on some Points in 



Starfishes appears in the systematic portion of Prof. Perrier's 

 report. 



In the year 1882, Sladen published an account of the 

 structural peculiarities presented by the Pterasteridae, and 

 pointed out their systematic value * ; but although Prof. 

 Perrier enters into some detail respecting the structure of 

 Pteraster carihhoeus^ he completely ignores all that had been 

 written upon the subject two years previously. 



In fact, throughout the whole of Prof. Perrier's report the 

 work of German and English writers upon the morphology 

 of the Asterids, and their relation to the Echinodermata gene- 

 rally, is left entirely unnoticed. The observations of Geddes 

 and Beddard were made in a French laboratory and are 

 therefore mentioned ; but no reference is given to the place of 

 then- publication ; while the papers of Ludwig, Sladen, and 

 myself might never have been written so far as Prof. Perrier 

 is concerned. This neglect of the results of fellow workers 

 who do not happen to be Frenchmen may be patriotic, but it 

 is neither Avise nor scientific; and in one case, as has been 

 already explained in this journal f, Prof. Perrier's omission to 

 consult any one of some four papers by Pourtalbs and myself 

 which contain descriptions of the calyx of Rkizocrinus has 

 led to zoological science being enriched with a new synonym. 

 For Prof. Perrier has at last come to the conclusion, as he 

 would have done at first had he taken the trouble to make 

 himself acquainted with the literature of his subject, that his 

 genus Democnnus is identical with RMzocrinus\. 



It was pointed out by Pourtal^s in 1868 §, and again in 

 1874 II, that i2/^^2;ocrmMS has large and well-developed basal 

 plates like those of Bourgueticrinus ; and in his second paper 

 he corrected the mistake which had been made by Sars ^ in 

 describing the basals of Rhizocrinus as internal and concealed. 

 These results were confirmed by myself in 1877 **, and again 



* "The Asteroidea of H.M.S. 'Challenger' Expedition.— Part I. 

 Pterasteridae," Journ. Linn. Soc, Zool. vol. xvi. pp. 190, 191. 



t "Note on Democrimis Farfaiti" Ann, & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 5, 

 vol. xi. pp. 334-336. 



X Revue Scientifique, 30 May, 1885, p. 691, note. 



§ " Contributious to the Fauna of the Gulf Stream at Great Depths," 

 Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. vol. i. no. 7, pp. 128-130. 



II *' Zoological Results of the ' Hassler ' Expedition," III. Cat. Mus. 

 Comp. Zool. no. viii. pp. 28, 29. 



^ ' Memoires pour servir a la conuaissance des Crinoides vivants,' 

 Christiania, 1868, p. 12. _ 



** " On some Points in the Anatomy of Penfacrimis and Rhizocrinns," 

 Journ. Anat. & Physiol, vol. xii. 1877, p. 50. 



