The interacting Wolf-Rayet galaxy Mkn 8

We present results of narrow-band and broad-band optical CCD imaging togeth er with intermediate-resolution spectroscopy of the Wolf-Rayet galaxy Mkn 8 . Analysis of the morphology and kinematics of the object indicates that th e strong star formation episode we are witnessing in Mkn 8 is the product o f the interaction of two (or three) disk galaxies. The chemical abundances and abundance ratios measured in the brightest knots suggest that the inter acting galaxies are chemically evolved gas-rich objects, perhaps late-type spirals.