176 BRITISH SPONGIADJE. 



pose the following series of characters to replace 

 those in Vol. II, p. 350, ' Monograph of the British 

 Spongiada3.' 



" Sponge massive, sessile. Surface slightly uneven, 

 minutely hispid. Oscula simple, dispersed. Pores 

 dispersed. Dermal membrane abundantly spiculous ; 

 tension spicula sub-fusiformi acuate, more or less 

 constricted near the basal end, long and slender, very 

 numerous, irregular, felted together ; and tricurvate 

 acerate, small and very slender, few in number ; 

 retentive spicula simple and contort bihamate, rather 

 small, very numerous ; and bidentate inequi-anchorate 

 and dentato-palmato inequi-anchorate, very minute 

 and few in number. Skeleton rete open ; fibre 

 stout and compact ; spicula subf usiformi-acuate, more 

 or less constricted near the base, long and large. In- 

 terstitial membranes abundantly spiculous ; tension 

 spicula same size and form as those of the dermal 

 membrane, dispersed or subfasciculated ; retentive 

 spicula same as those of the derniis. 



" Colour. In the live state pale brown. 



"Habitat. Shetland, Mr. C. W. Peach; Westport 

 Bay, Co. Mayo, Eev. A. M. Norman. 



"Examined. In the dried state." 



5. DESMACIDON INCOGNITOS, Bow., in, 292, PI. LXXXY, 

 figs. 1416. 



6. DESMACIDON PANNOSUS, Bow., in, 312, PI. LXXXIX, 

 figs. 1, 2. 



*' "When I described and figured this sponge it was 



