ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
205 
Solasteridae, Pterasteridae, Echinasteridae, Asteriidae, and Brisingidae are 
to be found in palaeozoic deposits, but as yet there are no indications of 
the Porcellanasteridae, Antheneidae, Zoroasteridae, Stichasteridae, Helias- 
teridae, or Pedicellasteridae. While adopting Mr. Sladen’s classification 
of Asteroidea, Herr Stiirtz points out that, for palaeontologists, neither 
the presence of papulae nor of papular pores is of service ; even more 
rarely can he say whether the pores were confined to one surface of the 
body. This character is of no more use than Perrier’s pedicellariae. It 
is suggested that, for the palaeontologist, characters drawn from the 
mouth-parts would be of greater service. With regard to the presence 
(Phanerozonia) or absence (Cryptozonia) of evident marginal plates it 
is remarked that the intermediate forms render this character of com- 
paratively little service. The author thinks that under these circum- 
stances the general structure, and especially that of the hard parts, is of 
much greater value for palaeontologists, and he laments that our know- 
ledge of these facts in recent Starfishes is still so incomplete. 
While Sladen holds that the Phanerozonia are older than the 
Cryptozonia, Perrier holds exactly the opposite ; our author thinks 
Sladen’s view is probable, but finds that the question is not to be settled 
by palaeontology ; the oldest layers, as far as the Lower Devonian, con- 
tain all the types and even the so-called intermediate forms of both, and 
the older and the younger groups. 
No facts are known to Herr Sturtz which would justify the conclu- 
sion that pre- Jurassic Asteroids had the great regenerative and fissive 
power of their recent descendants. 
What is true of Asteroids appears to be also true of Ophiuroids ; 
the palaeozoic forms are not so different to the recent that they should 
be classified apart from them. 
Asteroidea of the ‘ Travailleur ’ and ‘Talisman’ Expeditions.* — 
Prof. E. Perrier, in a handsome and well-illustrated volume, gives a full 
account of the Starfishes collected by these two deep-sea dredging vessels. 
He finds that the deep-sea Asteroids do not present any type the equi- 
valent of which is not to be found in shallow waters. To find, however, 
the littoral representatives of the deep-water fauna it does not suffice to 
mount to a definite region, for example, towards the north; it is neces- 
sary to go a little everywhere. As the author has already urged, the 
animals of great depths may be considered as animals descended from 
the free surface of the ocean or shores, but that the shores of all regions 
of the globe seem to have furnished their contingent to this emigration. 
An account is given of the general anatomy of the skeleton, and a 
number of fresh descriptive terms are introduced ; Mr. Sladen’s classi 
fication is submitted to close examination, and some of its characters are 
regarded as artificial, while reasons are given for thinking that the 
Brisingidae and allied forms are the least, not the most differentiated of 
the Starfish stock. 
After some discussion a series of five orders is adopted ; these are 
called Forcipulata, Spinulosa, Yelata, Yalvata, and Paxillosa; the first 
begins with the Brisingidae, and the last ends with the Archasteridae. 
* * Expeditions Scientifiques da 4 Travailleur ’ et du * Talisman ’ . . . Echino- 
dermes,’ Paris, 4 to, 1894, 431 pp., 26 pis. 
