Massy — The Holothurioidea of the Coasts of Ireland. 51 



5 inches when alive, and the specimen is now only half that size. The 

 larger specimen, labelled " Fhyllophonis dnommondi = Gucumaria cucumis, 

 Co. Antrim, Ord. Sui-v. Coll.," is now nearly of inches in length. Drummond 

 described the type-specimen as being nearly as large as a middle-sized lemon 

 the day it was captured, and next day " two inches long, and contracting 

 itself slowly in many places." Thompson gives the length as 10 inches. As 

 both these specimens come from the historic locality, and were taken dnring 

 the Ordnance Survey investigations of Capt. Portlock, probably at least 

 80 years ago (Forbes, 1841, p. 238), it seems very probable that they were 

 examined by those early naturalists who laid the foundation of our present 

 knowledge of the group. The largest specimen has 9 outer, many-branched, 

 white tentacles, the largest of which measures 25 mm. Seven very small 

 tentacles, also white, form an inner ring. The other specimen has 18 ten- 

 tacles (9 outer and 9 inner), measuring from 4-24 mm., and all more or less 

 tinged with purple. The tentacles are, however, retracted, so that they have 

 not been exposed to the light, which has, perhaps, bleached the extended 

 tentacles of the larger specimen. In both examples no deposits were 

 detected, even in the anterior portion of the perisome, other than the domed 

 terminal plates in the podia. These measure cci. 699^ in diameter, and have 

 a slightly serrated margin, and contain an immense number of small perfora- 

 tions, the largest of which measure ca. Tip. in diameter. These holes are 

 frequently strengthened by transverse bands, and the largest may be either 

 at the summit or margin. The deposits of the tentacles consist of densely 

 packed plates, varying greatly in size and shape, and all containing a number 

 of perforations. A typical plate measures 198ju by I21;u, and contains 

 ca. 25 perforations, the largest of which measures ca. 20;u. Some plates are 

 small, and contain but 6 perforations. A few rude tables are also present in 

 the tentacles of both, and are apparently built up of 3 or 4 rods and 1 trans- 

 verse beam, and possess a central and 7 peripheral holes, and measure 

 ca. ^Ifi by 88ju. Both specimens are much contracted. The ambulacra are 

 defined by grooves and by the presence of a large number of podia. 'The 

 latter are also present on the interambulacra, but are there frequently sepa- 

 rated by relatively wide spaces. Both specimens have a rather soft collar, 

 measuring 15 mm. in height, and moderately excavated, but showing no trace 

 of the prolongations present in Ps. mixta, Ost. It is the type of collar of 

 Ph. pellucidus (Flem.). Each specimen agrees with the other in having 

 3 polian vessels, measuring 15-20 mm., and also in having lost both gonad 

 and intestine. Ostergren (1906, p. 18) thought it was possible that his 

 Ps. mixta might prove to be Forbes' C. Drummondi if the latter was found 

 to possess 20 tentacles. The shape of the collar is, however, totally 



