68 BRITISH 



10. HYMEDESMIA SIMPLICISSIMA, How., in, 253 ; PI, 

 LXXX, fig. 1 . 



11. HYMEDESMIA TEXUICULA, Bow., n. sp., iv, PI. I, fig. 5. 



" Sponge coating, very thin. Surface even, smooth. 

 Oscula simple, minute, dispersed. Pores inconspi- 

 cuous. Skeleton fasciculi variable, flat ; spicula few 

 or very numerous in each, bases and apices coinci- 

 dent, attenuato-spinulate, long, slender, minute, 

 variable in size. 



" Colour. Alive, deep blue ; in spirit, light blue. 



" Habitat. Roundstone Bay, Connemara, Ireland ; 

 Rev. A. M. Norman. 



" Examined. From spirit. 



" Among the specimens of Irish sponges that I re- 

 ceived for examination from the Rev. A. M. Norman 

 there were two small fragments of granite, the largest 

 being seven lines in length by four lines in breadth , 

 and the smaller one beinsf not half the size of the 



O 



largest. On each of these there were minute patches 

 of a dull, pale blue colour as taken from the spirit, but 

 which, from the label on the bottle, were of a deep 

 blue colour when alive. The thickness of the sponge 

 does not exceed that of a sheet of writing paper. 

 "When a portion of the sponge was mounted for 

 microscopical examination with a power of 100 linear, 

 scarcely any of the spicula were visible amidst the 

 sarcode, which presented a strongly gelatinous appear- 

 ance in the water ; but when mounted in Canada 

 balsam they became completely visible. The struc- 

 tures of the sponge are very simple ; one form of 



