1879.] the Comatulae of the " Challenger" Expedition. 387 



have a fairly wide range. Ant. rosacea ranges from the north of 

 Scotland to the Mediterranean, while Ant. JEsclirichtii is found over a 

 mnch wider area. It is the common Arctic species, having been 

 obtained by our own expedition under Nares, as far north as lat. 81° N., 

 while the expeditions of Sweden, Norway, and other countries have 

 found it abundant in the seas of Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla. It is 

 well known on the American coast, and was dredged by the " Chal- 

 lenger " off Halifax, while the " Porcupine " met with it in the " cold 

 area " of the North Atlantic. 



The "Challenger" dredgings round Heard Island yielded several 

 specimens which agree so very closely with Ant. Eschrichtii that I am 

 very strongly inclined to believe in the identity of the southern and 

 northern forms. There are, however, some minor points of difference 

 between them, and the southern form may really turn out to be the 

 representative species of Ant. Eschrichtii, but not identical with it. I 

 cannot venture to give a definite opinion upon this point until I have 

 had an opportunity of examining a greater variety of specimens than 

 are accessible to me just at present. 



There are other Antedon species, which occur in duplicate from 

 different localities. Two specimens from near the Kermadec Islands 

 (S. 170), also occur in the neighbourhood of the Fijis (S. 174, 175). 

 A third species was dredged at Stations 147 and 160, two localities 

 in the Southern Sea, in nearly the same latitude, but separated by 

 almost 90° of longitude. A fourth species came up from 1,070 and 

 775 fathoms, off the Admiralty Islands and Japan respectively. 



The above facts would seem to show that, with few exceptions, the 

 geographical range of the individual members of the family Coma- 

 tulidae, is exceedingly limited, nearly every species having its own 

 locality, and that not a very extensive one. 



This is not surprising when it is remembered how rarely Comatulce 

 have been found at great depths. The stalked Crinoids, on the other 

 hand, are especially characteristic of the abyssal fauna, Pentacrinus, 

 Bathyc rinus, and Phizocrinus, all having a very wide distribution. 

 This is true, also, even with the individual species of the latter genus. 

 This accords well with our paleeontological knowledge. Chalk Coma- 

 tula^ are exceedingly rare. Hagenow found one in Germany, which 

 he named Hertha mystica. Prom the figure which he gives of its 

 calyx, I should judge it to be an Antedon, which agrees well with the 

 facts stated above. Lundgren*. has found a calyx in the chalk of 

 Sweden, which " comes very near to Antedon Fischeri, Greinitz." There 

 are also a few chalk Comatuloz in the Woodwardian and British 

 Museums, viz., Glenotremites and similar forms, but they are as nothing 

 compared to the remains of Pentacrinus and Bourguetticrinus, and even 



* "Neues Jahrbuch fur Mineralogie." Heft ii 3 1876, pp. 180-182. 



