BARBADOS-ANTIGUA EXPEDITION 719 
Albert also showed us a successful method of catching the 
mole-erab (Hippa cubensis), of which we desired a supply for 
laboratory use. These are beach-dwellers on smooth sand, and 
bury themselves so quickly that they are rather hard to catch. 
Albert would take a few of the common land-crabs, tear them 
into fragments, for bait, and scatter them on the sand in front 
of an advancing wave. Upon the wave receding, specimens of 
Hippa would be found trying to carry off the crab-meat which 
so occupies their attention that they can be scooped up in the 
hands or with a crab-net with comparative ease. 
Echinoderms.—The most notable fact regarding this group 
was the searcity of Asteroidea, both in shallow and deeper 
water. But one species was found in quantity and that in but 
one locality off Needham’s Point on the opposite side of Carlisle 
Bay. The species referred to is Linckia guildingu Gray. It is 
deep red above and yellowish below. Like some of its allies, it 
is peculiar in having two madreporic bodies, and further re- 
markable for its astonishing powers of regeneration. A com- 
plete specimen was an exception in those collected by us, al- 
though the species is by no means fragile, being unusually 
tough and leathery in texture. The rays are much harder to 
break than in the case with most other species which I have 
handled. While many forms will occasionally go to pieces of 
their own accord, I have had experience with only one, Lwidia, 
that seems habitually to resort to this method of protest against 
the ills of outrageous fortune. Lwidia, however, almost invar- 
lably casts most of its rays, even if carefully handled and kept 
in fresh sea-water; and for this reason it is difficult to secure 
entire specimens. But this is a very fragile species and the 
habit of voluntary dissolution is not to be greatly wondered at. 
Among the numerous specimens of Linckia collected by us, 
the majority showed regeneration in some stage or other, but 
none, so far as I am aware, came apart after being captured; 
and some of them were kept alive in buckets for a considerable 
time. Every possible stage of regeneration is exhibited in our 
series, from a single mature ray from which a minute body and 
five tiny rays are budding, to the nearly complete regeneration 
of a single ray from an otherwise entire specimen. As it does 
not appear to disassemble voluntarily on the approach of dan- 
