54 
Bulletin of Natural History Society. 
II. Forms having bifurcated and laterally branched rays, 
all of the systems of skeletal lolates being involved. These are 
the most common monstrosities. The bifurcation may be of 
any degree from the merest forking at the tip, down to nearly 
complete division, when it produces the condition of section 
b, I. The branching may take place anywhere along the 
arm. Instances of this were figured as early as 1733 by 
Linck (Dr. Stellis Marinis, Pis. XXXIV., XXXV., No. 58) 
in this or an allied species. A curious modification of this 
branching is seen in a specimen in the collection of Mr. Van 
Vleck, of Boston, in which the new arm starting from the 
under side of the parent near its tip, soon outgrew the latter. 
As a result the tip of the original ray was forced up so as 
seemingly (and really, too, for that matter) to project from 
the upper surface of the new one. 
III, Forms having neic arms sproutmg from the abactinal 
or upijer surface. Such cases are not uncommon, and the 
new ray may grow to a considerable size. Linck’s specimen, 
referred to above, shows this, in addition to the other form of 
branching. A specimen in the student’s collection in the 
Museum of Comi^arative Zoology, Cambridge, well illustrates 
this. 
c. Monstosities which are the Result of Fusion of Parts. 
I. We have seen but one instance of this, a specimen in 
the collection of Mr. Van Vleck in which two arms are dis- 
tinctly united throughout their length, showing two separate 
ambulacral furrows with a line of adambulacral plates and 
spines between. 
8«. Asterias Forbesii, Verrill. 
We are very glad to be able to add this species to our 
fauna. It was inserted doubtfully in our list of 1888 on the 
chance that it might be found in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 
We are still of opinion that it will be found there; but it has 
lately been discovered in a quite unexpected quarter. In 
September, 1888, the present writer found a specimen on 
Dochet Island, St. Croix River, and later found several 
