THE MONTREAL BLUE GALAXY SURVEY .3. 3RD LIST OF UV-BRIGHT CANDIDATES

We present and discuss the latest addition of the Montreal Blue Galaxy (MBG) survey. Inspection of 59 Curtis Schmidt plates resulted in the identification of 135 new UV-bright galaxies with B<15.5, This brings the total number of MBGs to 469. New results of the V/V-m test show th at our survey is complete to B=14.7. From our most recent spectroscopi c follow-up, we confirm the discovery of one new Seyfert galaxy and po ssibly one new Seyfert 2 galaxy. We confirm also the bias of the MBG s urvey towards the low-excitation and metal rich Starburst Nucleus Gala xies (SBNGs). The spectral characteristics of the MBGs are similar to those of the infrared luminous IRAS galaxies. As a common characterist ic, they show a mean ratio log([N II]/H alpha) in excess of 0.2 dex as compared to normal disk H II regions, In general, the MBGs have lower far-infrared luminosities (L-IR<10(11) L.) and an nearer (z < 0.05) t han the luminous IRAS galaxies. The distribution of the morphologies o f the MBGs indicates a high number of early-type spirals (Sb and earli er). Nearly half of these galaxies also possess a bar, In our sample, the fraction of galaxies with bars depends on the morphology and incre ases towards the late-type spirals, However, if we consider only isola ted galaxies, the late-type spirals show a clear tendency to be barred . Signs of a recent interaction with neighbor galaxies are obvious onl y in 24% of our candidates, Although this number is only a lower limit , it is nevertheless sufficiently low to suggest that in a majority of massive galaxies the burst of star formation does not depend solely o n dynamical processes. (C) 1997 American Astronomical Society.