BARBADOS-ANTIGUA EXPEDITION 85 
spines almost black. The disk showed great variation, often 
having a central oval or pentagonal area of cream color show- 
ing in sharp contrast to dark brown spines. 
A species of Ophiothrix, with its long glassy greenish or blu- 
ish spines beset with thorny spinelets, fairly swarmed over some 
of the gorgonians brought up near Hastings by our diver. 
Often the large, profusely branched gorgonians were fairly 
covered by the wriggling ophiurians. Besides Ophiocoma 
echinata, O. ruser and O. pumila were secured, but are much 
less abundant. A very peculiar specimen was dredged at Sta- 
tion 10. It seems to be an Ophwura, much like O. cinerea, but 
is over a foot in spread. The disk is elevated in the center so as 
to be conical in profile. 
One of the most beautiful serpent stars that I have ever seen 
was taken at Station 64, depth 60 to 70 fathoms. It is doubtless 
an Ophiothrix, having the pierced jaws; glassy, jagged spines 
and no mouth papille of that genus. It is a large specimen 
with a spread of about ten inches, with a very distinct band of 
vivid crimson on a background of light pink along the dorsal 
surface of the arms and extending to the center of the disk. 
The arm spines are very slender, eight mm. long, quite trans- 
parent, with saw-like sides and in three series on each side of 
the arms. 
Here, as on the Bahama trip, we were greatly interested in 
the assemblage of forms of simple-armed basket-fish. Perhaps 
the most conspicuous and strikingly marked of the sparingly 
branched forms is the Astrocnida from deep water. The arms 
in the small specimens are unbranched, while those of the larg- 
er specimens from Station 89, depth 80 fathoms, are slightly 
branched at the ends and ornamented throughout with trans- 
verse elevated bands of light gray alternating with depressed 
bands of deep chocolate. These circular ridges are beset with 
thorny stubby spines as in Astrogomphus. The bases of the 
arms are swollen and the swellings invade the dorsal surface of 
the disk, in the center of which is a star-shaped area formed by 
similar ridges. Another simple-armed basket-fish is from Sta- 
tion 7, and is orange colored and exceedingly hispid all over, 
feeling like coarse sandpaper, wiry in texture, with arms taper- 
ing to a mere coiled thread which can wind itself closely around 
