Natural-History Collectors. 5557 



Occurrence of the Rosy Feather-star (Ooinatula rosacea) in Weymouth Bay. — I have 

 now, in one of my tanks, alive, and at present doing well, a specimen of the above 

 interesting animal: I obtained it on the 19th inst. in Weymouth Bay. This is the 

 third individual I have obtained, and 1 have heard of another : it appears to possess 

 greater powers of locomotion than do many other genera, due to the greater amount 

 of flexibility in its rays: it is very sluggish, but also very sensitive to the touch. It 

 is useless to give a description, as, if correctly given, it would be identical with that 

 already published by the late Professor Forbes, in his 'British Star-fishes.' — William 

 Thompson; Weymouth, February 22, 1857. 



Enquiry respecting the Preservation of the Echinida. — The species of Echini 

 preserved dry are extremely deciduous; in fact, it is almost an impossibility to keep 

 them perfect, — the slightest damp, and off they fall, of their own accord, and, on the 

 other hand, if kept too dry, the slightest touch breaks them off. Can any reader 

 of the 'Zoologist' tell me how to prevent this? It is very annoying to see good 

 specimens falling to pieces, without knowing how to prevent it. The genera Echino- 

 cyamus, Spatangus, and Amphidotus may easily be preserved if a little care is used, 

 but all my attempts to get good specimens of Echinus Sphaera, miliaris and lividus 

 have been in vain, nor have I ever seen any preserved in their natural beauty. — Alfred 

 Merle Norman; Kibworth, February 3, 1857. 



Proceedings of Natural-History Collectors in Foreign Countries. 



Mr. H. W. Bates. — "Ega, July 28, 1856. I now send you another 

 collection from this district, and hope it will be considered a fine one, 

 for I believe there is not any number of any species* that I have sent 

 sufficient of before, and some species I send series of, which I hope 

 will be new in London, such as the Allorhina, &c, in the Coleoptera, 

 &c, the Zeonia and an Epicalia in the Lepidoptera. I am sorry 1 can 

 get no better boxes here to put them in, and I feel very nervous as to 

 the safety of this collection ; I have put them up, however, as securely 

 as I can : I filled up one of the boxes with a few Dynastes and birds, 

 and hope to hear that they have arrived safe. Your letter of the 7th 

 of February I received on the 5th of May. It will be very difficult to 

 stay sufficient time to get a good collection at any place above Ega; 

 in some villages existence is scarcely endurable to Europeans, on ac- 

 count of incessant clouds of mosquitos, difficulty of getting anything 

 to eat, and bad feeling of the few inhabitants. Ega is the last place 

 where there are any conveniences for working comfortably : it would 

 be very easy to travel on right through to Quito or Lima, but to stay 

 at a place two or three months is a real difficulty; however, I shall 

 probably try St. Paul's for a few months, as soon as I can hear of a 

 canoe to take my luggage (including provisions for three months), as it 

 cannot be taken by steamer. I received the parcel of books you sent, 



