MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 297 



some places the bottom must have been paved with them, jnst as the 

 shallows are sometrmes paved with Starfishes and Echini, and many 

 species hitherto considered as extremely rare are found to be really 

 abundant. Most, or perhaps all, the deep-sea Atlantic species obtained 

 by the " Challenger " have been rediscovered in large numbers. Such 

 rare species as Sigsbeia murrhina, Ophiozona nivea, Ilemyeuryale pustu- 

 lata, and Ophiocanax histrix, were found in plenty. Among the repre- 

 sentatives of northern seas may be cited Astronyx Loveni (?), while a 

 single specimen of Ophiophyllum represents the great rarities. Of 

 Astrocnida isidis, of which only three specimens were known, we have 

 half a dozen. A large Pectinura recalls the shallow fauna of the East 

 Indies, while a new Ophiernus brings to mind the Antarctic deep-sea 

 forms. Finally, the supposed abundance of simple armed Astrophytons 

 is fully confirmed by the various species of Astrochema, and by a new 

 species of Ophiocreas. 



The diligent search of Count Pourtal^s in the Straits of Florida, the 

 Hassler Expedition, the " Challenger " explorations, and the two expe- 

 ditions of the " Blake," have evidently brought up the majority of the 

 species of Ophiurans ; for among the enormous mass of specimens this 

 time obtained the number of new species is not very great. 



The Hydroids and Bryozoa were mainly represented by the same 

 forms as those collected last year, or in former Coast Survey expeditions 

 in the Florida Straits. 



The Corals, although abundant in specimens and species, probably 

 contain but few undescribed ones. Very fine specimens of the larger, 

 simple corals obtained by the "Challenger" Expedition, which were 

 never found in our earlier dredgings in the Gulf of Mexico or Straits of 

 Florida, were dredged here, such as Flabellum, Trochocyathus, Cerato- 

 trochus, etc. Several of the deep-sea Actinae, described by Moseley, 

 were obtained, generally attached to Sponge spicules, Gorgonise, or 

 stems of Umbellarise, 



The Alcyonarians were also very abundant, and among them we ex- 

 pect to find many novelties. Little can be said of them at first view, 

 as the deep-water forms have thus far received but little attention. 

 One form, gi-owing in a regular spiral, with equidistant branchlets on 

 the outer side of the spire, seems, by this mode of growth, to differ 

 from anything previously known in that order. Several fine specimens 

 of Umbellaria were obtained. 



Among the Annelids, the tubicolous Annelids are by far the most 

 striking, from the exquisite beauty of some of their tubes, composed of 



