98 BRITISH SPONGIARffi. 



mean between those of a purely acerate and a purely 

 cylindrical type of spiculum ; they terminate abruptly 

 in a blunt point, but are never truly hemispherical, 

 as in a typical form of a cylindrical spiculum. This 

 intermediate form of the terminations of the spicula 

 obtains in those of the dermis as well as of the 

 skeleton, but it is not so striking in the former as in 

 the latter, in consequence of their greater comparative 

 tenuity. There is no other nearly allied British 

 sponge that can be mistaken for this species." 



9. HALICHONDRIA PANICEA (Pallas], u, 229 ; in, 97, 

 Plates XXXIX and XL. 



1870 Amorpliina panicea, Schmidt. Spong. Atlant. Geb., 

 p. 77. 



The largest example I have seen of this sponge is 

 one which was in the collection of the late Mr. Barlee 

 which he bequeathed to me. It is wrapped round the 

 stem of a Laminaria to a length of fourteen inches, 

 and the rounded mass has a diameter of three inches. 

 In the comparatively thin encrusting state in which it 

 commonly spreads itself over rocks I have sometimes 

 seen patches extending over two or three square feet. 



A " histodermal form of Halichondria panicea " is 

 stated by Carter to have been dredged by the " Porcu- 

 pine" Expedition (1870, station 20), in 292 fathoms 

 ('Ann. Nat. Hist.,' ser. 4, vol. xviii, p. 407), which is 

 a depth at which we should certainly not have expected 

 to meet with this littoral species. 



Among Dr. Bowerbank's notes is the following, 

 which refers to examples of the species taken at as 



