Article III . — Zoological Notes, 
57 
This species is variable not only in form, but in the length 
and color of its spines. A very long-spined variety is common 
off Cheyne Island, Grand Manan, in 20 or 30 fathoms, and 
white-spined and red-spined forms also occur. 
It was stated in our paper on this species in Bulletin No. 
VIL, that it never excavates hollows in the rocks, as some 
other species are known to do. This is a mistake; for, during 
last summer. Dr. J. W. Fewkes found them in burrows which 
they formed in the soft rocks of the Black Ledges, a few 
miles from Nantucket Island, Grand Manan. He has given 
a brief description of them in the “American Naturalist’^ 
for August, 1889, and a more detailed account, illustrated by 
cuts made from photographs, appeared in the same journal 
in the January, 1890, number. 
Economics. We find that this species has been used for 
food much more extensively than we were aware of when our 
account of the species was published in the Society’s Bulletin 
in 1888. 
It is quite probable that it was an important article of 
food to the Acadian Indians in the olden times. Such is the 
opinion of Prof. S. F. Baird, who found sea-urchin spines 
and shells m great abundance in a shell-heap at Oak Bay. 
(Proc. XT. S. Nat. Mus. IV.. 1881. p. 292). Mr. Matthew, 
in his study of a Bocabec shell-heap found its remains much 
less abundant, (Bull, this Society No. III., p. 24). 
Lescarbot, writing in 1609, appear to have thought it good 
eating, for he refers to it under the name of Sea-chesnut 
(chatagne-de-mer), and declares it “a fish the most delicious 
that it is possible to be.” Probably, as in France, he ate only 
the ovaries, if he ate it at all. 
It is still eaten by the natives of Alaska and some of the 
Aleutian Islands; and Mr. H. W. Elliott (Seal Islands of 
Alaska, U. S, 10th Census, p. 137) describes the eager search 
made for it by the natives, who greatly esteem it. In New- 
foundland, Jukes said in 1842 (Excursions in Newfoundland) 
it was used as food by many of the French, and Pev. 
Philip Tocque, in 1878 (Newfoundland, p. 497) wrote: “The 
