On the Occurrence of the " Rosy Feather Star'' 83 
adult and eleven young, in difierent stages of growth. One 
of the adult has curled its arms into Ammonite-like forms, 
the delicate pinnae being intertwined gracefully with the 
arms in the most beautiful manner, adding greatly to its 
loveliness. Both adult and young are moored by the claws 
of the filiform processes to the meshes of the sponge. The 
adult are a short distance from each other, and near the top 
of the sponge ; some of the young are sheltered under the 
arms of one of the old ones, others are scattered singly 
about the sponge. In another spot, a group of four or five 
are safely ensconced in a nice nook, low down, where four 
branches take their rise. All the Eosy Feather Stars are 
on the inner part of the branches of the sponge, and thus 
sheltered from injury. A few of the filiform processes and 
other portions which fell from the Thurso specimens are 
inclosed in glass for your inspection, where the claws, &c. 
may be seen. 
The filiform processes have, as well as claws on the tips (as 
figured by Forbes), similar smooth-like processes on the inside 
of the body of the two next joints, and as well short but stout 
spines on the upper part of each joint. Shorter spines may 
be seen on the upper part of the bifurcated arms. 
Having now found the habitat and nursery of this hitherto 
stranger, it is possible we may often hear of it, and in time 
welcome the " little strangers " whilst attached to their 
jointed stalks, before being cast adrift in the world of waters 
on their own account. This fixed state I frequently met 
with when I lived in Cornwall. I find, on referring to my 
diary for 1844, that I noticed many so moored on the stones 
used to sink the " crab-pots," and also on the rods of which 
the pots were made. At that time such "wee things," 
and "little wonders" were not so well understood as now. 
I removed from the sponge, for preservation, several young 
specimens of Ophiocoma rosula, varying in size from a spiny 
egg about two lines across, to rayed ones more than Jth of 
an inch over, and had the pleasure of tracing the hooked 
spines, &c. mentioned in my previous papers on Star-fishes 
to your Society. 
