BRITISH SPONGIADiE. 193 



being not more than half the length and diameter of the 

 latter, and in the basal end being somewhat clavate, which 

 is not the case in H. lingua. In other points the specific 

 differences are very decided and effective. 



2G.Hymeniacidon virgultosa, Boioerbank. 



Halichondbja virgultosa, Johnston. 



Sponge. Parasitical, coating Zoophytes or Fuci, elongate or 

 virgultose, more or less compressed ; surface smooth 

 Oscula and pores inconspicuous. Dermal membrane 

 pellucid, spiculous, furnished abundantly with minute 

 inflato-cylindrical spicula, irregularly dispersed. Skele- 

 ton. Spicula acuate, long, very rarely sub-spinulate. 

 Interstitial membranes attenuato-acuate, long and 

 slender, and rarely with minute inflato-cylindrical 

 spicula. 



Colour. Dried, light buff yellow. 

 Habitat. Dogger Bank, Mr. Peter Cullen. 

 Examined. In the dried state. 



The type specimen of this species, described by Dr. 

 Johnston, in his ' History of British Sponges,' page 137, is 

 in the possession of Mr. Bean, of Scarborough, where I have 

 had the pleasure of seeing it. The form of the specimen, 

 before it was broken, was that of a slender, irregular cylinder, 

 somewhat compressed and slightly twisted ; it was about 

 fifteen inches in length, and nearly half an inch in diameter. 

 At the same period I obtained from Mr. Peter Cullen a series 

 of the species of five specimens. The whole of these were 

 from eight to eleven lines wide, and from two to five lines 

 thick ; the shortest was two inches and three quarters long, 

 and the largest ten inches and three quarters in height, and 

 the whole of them preserved nearly the same proportions 

 from base to apex. There was also more or less of the 

 appearance of a suture, running nearly the whole length of 



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