BRITISH SPONGIADjE. 55 



Genus Ecionemia, Bowerbank. 



1. Ecionemia compressa, Bowerbank. 



2. ponderosa, Bowerbank. 



Ecionemia compressa, Bowerbank. 



Sponge. Elevated on a short compressed pedicel, mass 

 much compressed, surface even, smooth. Oscula 

 simple, dispersed, small. Pores inconspicuous. Dermal 

 membrane abundantly spiculous; tension spicula 

 acerate or innato-aeerate, entirely incipiently spined, 

 rather slender, numerous ; retentive spicula attenuato- 

 stellate, large; and elongo-attenuato stellate, small, 

 and very numerous. Connecting spicula attenuato- 

 patento-temate, radii long and rather slender, shaft 

 rather short. Skeleton. Spicula acerate, rarely acu- 

 ate, large, and long. Interstitial membranes abun- 

 dantly spiculous ; spicula the same as those of the 

 dermal membrane. 



Colour. Light gray. 



Habitat. Shetland, Mr. C. W. Peach. 



Examined. In the dried state. 



I am indebted to my friend Mr. Peach for this interesting 

 specimen ; the first British species I have seen of the 

 genus. It was dredged by Mr. J. Gwyn Jeffrey, in 1864, 

 and preserved for me by the donor, who accompanied the 

 expedition. The sponge is in excellent preservation. 



It is three and half inches in height ; two and three 

 quarters in breadth, within about an inch of the distal 

 extremity, and its greatest thickness is about four lines ; 

 the height of the pedestal is three fourths of an inch, and 



