BRITISH SPONGIADiE. 285 



Colour. When dried, light buff yellow. 

 Habitat Orkney Islands (?), Mr. McAndrevv. Pol- 

 perro, Rev. A. M. Norman. 



Examined. In the dried state. 



I found this sponge amongst a miscellaneous collection 

 of Zoophytes, sponges, and other marine animals in a large 

 drawer full of duplicates,in the possession of my kind friend 

 Mr. McAndrew, who informed me that they were a portion 

 of his dredging in the neighbourhood of the Orkney 

 Islands and the Hebrides. 



The specimen is an irregularly rounded mass an inch 

 and a half in diameter, exceedingly uneven on its surface, 

 from the bold projections of the conical fistulous oscula, 

 the largest of which attained a height of nearly half an 

 inch, having an aperture of three lines in diameter. The 

 surface of the sponge appears smooth to the unassisted eye, 

 but when examined by transmitted light, with a power of 

 100 linear, it is seen to be minutely hispid, by the projec- 

 tion of single spicula, or groups of two or three, from the 

 angles of the uniserial network of spicula with which the 

 dermal membrane is furnished. The dermal membrane is 

 thin and very pellucid, and the spicula with which it is 

 furnished agree in size and proportions with those of the 

 skeleton. The pores are abundant, and are barely visible 

 by the aid of a lens of two inches focus. The interstitial 

 membranes are rather profusely coated with sarcode which 

 presents a firm gelatinous appearance with a power of 

 100 linear. 



Immediately beneath the dermal membrane and attached 

 to the angles of the uniserial network of spicula were a 

 few gemmules apparently not in a fully developed condi- 

 tion ; when viewed in water by transmitted light, they pre- 

 sented the appearance of oval masses of sarcode without 

 any distinct investing membrane, having the points of 

 numerous minute spicula projecting slightly beyond the 

 surface, and a dark central nucleus of half the diameter of 

 the gemmule. One of the most perfect measured, long 

 diameter, ^st inch, short diameter, -j' c th inch. The spicula 



