706 



" THETIS " SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. 



Ecliinoderms collected by the " Thetis " and, with his usual 

 kindness, he peiinitted me to take one from the Crinoids which 

 were among them, and I shall take the opportunity of including 

 it in the present paper. 



While this paper was in press I visited all the Museums of 

 Europe which I had reason to tliink contained Australian 

 Crinoids. Tn London, thanks to the courtesy of Professor F. 

 Jeffrey Bell, I was permitted to examine the collections upon 

 which his list of the Crinoids of North-western Australia was 

 based, the historic "Alert" collections, and a considerable amount 

 of unrecorded material. At Paris, thanks to the kindness of 

 MM. E. Perrier and L. Joubin, I was enabled to examine the 

 Australian specimens — all in a wonderfully perfect state of pre- 

 servation — described nearly one hundred years ago by Lamarck, 

 as well as those described at a later date by Johannes Mliller. 

 Drs. F. A. Jentink and R. Horst, at Leyden, most generously 

 allowed me to study the historic specimens under their care, 

 while Professors K. Kraepelin and G. Pfeffer extended similar 

 courtesies to me at Hamburg. 



Upon my return to the United States, Professor W. Michaelsen, 

 of Hamburg, sent to me the Crinoids which he, together with 

 Dr. R. Hartmeyer, of Berlin, had collected on the west coast of 

 Australia. Though a large collection, it does not alter the 

 generalizations herein expressed to any apju'eciable degree. 



Thus in the preparation of this Report I have personally 

 examined the type specimen of every species of Crinoid recorded 

 from Australia, and also practically every specimen which, so 

 far as can be ascertained, has ever been sent abroad from that 

 country. 



In certain cases the examination of the types has shown that 

 the present conception of the species is entirely erroneous, and 

 it has frequently happened that species have been recorded under 

 incorrect names. The rectification of these errors has neces- , 

 sitated a somewhat extensive revision of the proof, and for the 

 trouble caused thereby I offer to the Editor of these Memoirs a 

 sincere apology. 



Among the Crinoids sent to me were a few from the Solomon 

 Islands, taken mostly at Ugi. I have thought it best to consider 

 these apart from those from the Australian coasts, as the faunal 

 relations of the Solomons are somewhat different from those of 

 Australia. These are therefore treated in a paper which will 

 appear in a forthcoming number of the Museum " Records," and, 

 though short, represents the sum of our knowledge regarding the 

 Crinoid fauna of those Islands, and is accompanied by a bibli- 

 ography which includes all the papers I have been able to find 

 wheie Solomon Island Crinoids are mentioned. 



