12 THE CRINOIDEA CAMERATA OF NORTH AMERICA. 
little as to the systematic position of the Crinoids generally, stating, how- 
ever, that they were neither Polyps nor Starfishes. 
Linné, throughout all the editions of his “Systema Naturae,” placed 
the Crinoids among the corals. Blumenbach* has the credit of having been 
the first writer who ranked them with the Asteroids and Ophiurids among the 
order “ Vermes crustacei,” which corresponds approximately to our pres- 
ent Echinoderms. Lamarck, in the first edition of his “Systéme des Ani- 
maux sans vertébres,” published in 1801, ranged them among the “ Polypes 
a rayons coralligénes,” along with Gorgonia, Umbellula, and Pennatula; but 
he afterwards modified this opinion, and in 18127 referred the Crinoids to 
the “ Polypes flottants,’ which he arranged next to the Radiata. In 18164 
he placed the Encrinites (Stalked Crinoids) among the Polyps, but the 
Comatulz (Free-floaters) among the Echinoderms. Schweigger § directed 
attention to the close resemblance that he found to exist between the arm 
structure of stalked Crinoids and Comatule, and he considered the two 
forms to be closely related. Cuvier in 1817, || and again in 1830, placed 
the Crinoids among the Echinoderms. 
The name “Crinoidea,” with the rank of a family, was proposed in 1821 
by J. S. Miller, for the lily-shaped, radiate animals which theretofore had 
been known as Hncrinites and Pentacrinites. He restricted the group to the 
Brachiate forms, and to those provided with a stem, as appears by the follow- 
ing definition: ** “An animal with a round, oval or angular column, com- 
posed of numerous articulating joints forming a cup-like body containing 
the viscera, from whose upper rim proceed five articulated fingers.” This 
description includes neither Blastoids nor Cystids, which were placed by 
Miller’s successors as subordinate groups under the Crinoids. It also ex- 
cludes the Comatule and the genus Marsupites, which have no stem, and 
which probably for this reason were referred by him to the “ Stelleride.” 
Among the latter he recognized four divisions: “Comatule, Euryale, 
Ophiura, and Asteria,” and he placed Marsupites in the same group with 
Euryale. Miller knew little of the structure of the Comatule, but enough 
* Handbuch der Naturgeschichte, 1780. 
+ Extrait du cours de Zodlogie du Muséum d’histoire naturelle sur les Animaux sans vertébres, ete., 
1812. 
{ Histoire naturelle des Animaux sans Vertébres, ete., 1815-1822. 
§ Handb. der skeletlosen, ungegliederten Thiere, Leipzig, 1820, p. 528. 
|| Le Régne animal, 1817 (1), Vol. IV., p. 12. 
{| Op. cit. (Bd. of 1830.) 
** A Natural History of the Crinoidea, Bristol, 1821, p. 7. 
