
430 The American Naturalist. [May, 
the same species, Ophiopholis aculeata. In the channel off the Weirs 
between High Duck Island and Nantucket we dredged bushels of 
these animals so crowded together that the dredge bay was simply 
gorged withthem. A motley crowd they were, too, as we emptied 
the dredge in the bottom of the boat. My friend and fellow- 
student, to whom this was the first introduction to these animals, 
was beside himself with joy, but subsequent repetition of these 
hauls renders even the most enthusiastic less anxious to secure 
specimens, and we came to wish that something else from the sea 
bottom might have a chance. 
Amphiura squamata was not found as abundant as O. aculeata. 
We picked them up among the small stones, sometimes in the 
coralline zone, but never as abundant as the Ophiopholis. The 
characteristic Ophiocoma and Ophiacantha were dredged more 
sparingly, but they may be said to occur in numbers off High a 
Duck Island and Nantucket. We never collected these genera 
on the shore between tides in places where Ophiopholis and § 
Amphiura love so much to dwell. 4 
All of the many genera of starfishes which live in the waters of 
Grand Manan were found in our several dredging excursions. 
Among the most interesting of the Asteroidea are the beauti- 
ful species of Hippasterias, two of which were dredged off Long 
Island in comparatively shallow water. Crossaster was taken in 
the channel between Long Island and High Duck, while Solaster 
was found at various points near low water mark. The latter 
was often taken with the boat hook, and in collecting could some- 
times be readily seen from the boat when the water was quiet. 
Innumerable specimens of three species of Asterias, some of 
which are of giant size, occur in the passage ways between the 
islands, and were readily found and preserved. * Crebrella, which 
is very common at Grand Manan, is found in all conditions of 

: t Our method of successful preservation of these Echinoderms was to place them first 
in fresh water until the rays tended and the body inflated, then, plunging them into 
boiling hot water, they were allowed to remain there for from three tofive minutes. They 


