442 THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA. [chap, ix, 



crinoids, however, are not predatory animals. Their 

 nutrition is eflfected in a very gentle manner. The 

 grooves of the pinnules and arms are richly ciliated. 

 The crinoid expands its arms like the petals of a full- 

 blown flower, and a current of sea-water bearing 

 organic matter in solution and suspension is carried 

 by the cilia along the brachial and radial grooves 

 to the mouth. In the stomach and intestine the 

 water is exhausted of assimilable matter, and the 

 length and direction of the excretory proboscis pre- 

 vent the exhausted water from returning at once into 

 the ciliated passages. 



The other West Indian Pentacrinus — P. Mulleri — 

 seems to be more common off the Danish Islands 

 than P. asteria. The animal is more delicate in 

 form. The stem attains nearly the Dame height, 

 but is more slender. The rings of cirri occur about 

 every twelfth joint, and at each whorl two stem- 

 joints are modified. The upper joint bears the facet 

 for the insertion of the cirrus, and the second is 

 grooved to receive its thick basal portion, which 

 bends downwards for a little way closely adpressed 

 to the stem, before becoming free. The syzygy is 

 between the two modified joints, and in all the com- 

 plete specimens which I have seen the stem is broken 

 through at one of these stem syzygies, and the ter- 

 minal stem-joint is worn and absorbed, showing 

 that the animal must have been for long free from 

 any attachment to the ground. 



On the 21st of July, 1870, Mr. Gwyn Jeffreys, 

 dredging from the ' Porcupine ' at a depth of 1,095 

 fathoms, lat. 39° 42' N., long. 9° 43' W., with a 

 bottom temperature of 4°'3 0. and a bottom of soft 



