BRITISH SPOKGIAD^l. 379 



Colour. Dried, light brown. 



Habitat. Vazon Buy, Guernsey, Mr. Cooper. 



Examined. In the dried state. 



I received this sponge from the Rev. A. M. Norman, 

 who obtained it from Mr. Cooper, of Guernsey. It is nearly 

 triangular in form, the longest side being an inch and a 

 quarter in length, and its greatest height is half an inch. 

 Within the space of the triangle there are eighteen small, 

 roundly terminated papillae crowded together, each having 

 an osculum at its summit. The largest is half an inch in 

 height, and the diameter near the base is three lines : the 

 smallest papilla is not more than two lines in height. In 

 a second small portion of the specimen, which accompanied 

 the larger one, about the eighth of an inch in thickness, 

 there are three oscula, which are but very slightly elevated 

 above the level of the surface ; from which we may infer 

 that it is only in the adult specimens that we may expect 

 to find the full development of the papillae. The hispida- 

 tion is produced by the terminations of the primary skele- 

 ton fibres, the apical spicula of which diverge at various 

 angles, forming a very efficient series of defences to the 

 surface of the sponge. In each of the papilla there appears 

 to be a single central cloacal canal, nearly equal to its own 

 length, terminating at the apex of the papilla in a simple 

 osculum. 



In those parts of the dermal membrane which were in a 

 good state of preservation, the tension spicula were rather 

 abundant ; the acuate ones are of the same form as those 

 of the skeleton, but more slender. The tricurvate spicula 

 vary considerably, both in length and diameter, and in 

 some the central curve is but slightly produced, and the 

 terminal ones are nearly obsolete. On the primary fibres 

 of the skeleton the spicula are given off at a very slight 

 angle to its axis, varying from a few degrees to twelve or 

 about sixteen, but on the secondary fibres they are pro- 

 jected at nearly right angles to its axis, and in the former 

 they are very numerous, while in the latter they are com- 

 paratively few in number. The interstitial membranes are 



