376 J. WILFRID JACKSON ON 
I have also to thank him for very generously sending me several preparations made 
from this specimen. 
Dr BiocHMANN considers the specimens from South Georgia and from South 
Orkneys to be referable to L. wva, but points out certain peculiarities whereby they 
differ from typical examples from Burdwood Bank and elsewhere. 
From the microscope preparations it is seen that the spicule are somewhat weaker 
in their development than is usual; the spicules penetrating into the bases of the 
cirri, too, are in most places not ordinarily developed. 
In the visceral membrane (dorsal and ventral) and in the spiral arms the spiculee 
are completely absent. They are also somewhat less developed than usual in the side 
arms, being confined to the anterior portion of the ventral side. 
The Scotia Bay examples, therefore, present a considerable difference in the form of 
the spicules when compared with the characters exhibited by the examples of L. uva 
figured by BLocHMANN (1912, pl. ii. figs. 16-18). 
In these latter, which come from the Falkland Islands, Magellan Straits, and Cape 
Horn, the spicule are normally developed in the visceral membrane, but in other 
particulars they conduct themselves as in the above-mentioned examples. 
Unfortunately my specimens arrived too late for Dr BLocumann to study them 
before the publication of his recent report on the examples from South Georgia 
(Swedish Expedition). He has since, however, made a careful comparison of the forms 
from both localities, and reports that, as in the Scotia Bay examples, the spicules are 
also absent from the visceral membrane in those from South Georgia. Consequently, 
his remark that “the spicule exhibit no differences” (1912, p. 3), now requires 
modification. 
It would appear from this fact that we are possibly dealing here with an interesting 
geographic variant, if not with an entirely new species. The study of a larger number 
of examples, however, would be necessary before one could arrive at a definite conclusion 
as to whether the absence of spicule from the visceral membrane is a constant character 
or not. Hence it remains purely a matter of opinion whether this eastern form is to 
be regarded as a variety or as a distinct species. 
The brachial support presents the characteristics of L. wva (see fig. 3, and BLocH- 
MANN, 1912, pl. i. fig. 12); the outer appearance, too, agrees fairly well with this 
species, with the exception that the specimens are larger than usual and the character- 
istic fine radiating strize of L. wva are scarcely perceptible. 
The ditference in size in the Scotia Bay examples might, of course, be due to the 
very shallow depth (6 fathoms) from which these specimens came. The same 
argument does not apply, however, to the South Georgia examples, which were 
obtained in about 122 fathoms. 
Owing to the unfortunate omission of particulars relating to depth, ete., in 
OEHLERTS reports (1907 and 1908) on the specimens obtained by the French 
Antarctic Expedition, whose area of research was off the western Antarctic continent, 
