DESMACIDOX. 173 



such a turnip to be going to seed, and to have sent up 

 several shoots. Now, break these shoots off four or 

 five inches from the bulb, strip off the leaves, as well 

 as the fibrous portions of the roots, and scoop out all 

 the interior of the turnip, leaving only the rind, and 

 you will have a very fair idea of Oceanapla. The rind 

 represents the spongeous crust ; the hollow interior is 

 a cup filled with sarcode ; the broken-off stems are 

 the cloacae, which are of about the size and shape of a 

 finger, the smaller specimens having sometimes only 

 one, but the larger as many as a dozen such cloacal 

 fistula of various sizes, which are generally simple, 

 but more rarely branched. The roots of the turnip 

 represent other fistular appendages of smaller size 

 than those which spring from the crown, and of more 

 solid and stringy texture. These appear literally to 

 take the place of roots, since in one instance they 

 grasp a pebble with their extremities, and in other 

 cases show evident signs of having been partially 

 embedded among sand. My largest specimen con- 

 tained nearly a pint of sarcode in the interior. This 

 sarcode is of a deeper colour than is usual among the 

 sponges, and when the dried Oceanapia is cut open the 

 sarcode will be found lying on that side which has been 

 downwards when drying, shrunk into a solid deep brown 

 or almost black mass, having somewhat the appearance 

 and consistency of cobbler's wax."* 



3. DESMACIDON PEACHII, Bow. t n, 349; in, PI. LXIII, 

 figs. 17. 



1867 Biemma Peachii, Gray. Proc. Zool. Soc., p. 538. 

 * Norman, ' Kep. Brit. Assoc.,' 1868 (1869), pp. 334335. 



