276 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



and Kent, be regards as untenable, and would without further delay unite them to 

 Fai'rea. According to Schmidt's view all the forms ascribed to these two genera, with 

 the single exception of Carter's Eurete farreopsis, belong to the circle of foiTQs round 

 his Farrea facunda. 



In a Report on a Collection of Marine Sponges from Japan, made by Dr. T. 

 Anderson, Carter gives a detailed and accurate description of the skeleton of a Japanese 

 Farrea, which he designates Farrea occa, Bowerbank.^ The conical and branched 

 tube exhibits in its upper portion "an extremely thin and delicate reticulated wall, 

 rendered denser lower down (towards the base) by additional matter of a similar 

 kind. Extremities of the branches open and dilated. The points of intersection of 

 the quadrangular reticulum are marked on each side by a long, curved, spiniferous process 

 or spur, which is directed upwards, thus supporting the sarcode or soft parts and its 

 spicular contents, both externally and internally, that is, on each side of the skeletal 

 Avail." The loose dermal spicules exhibit five forms, viz., (l) hexradiate with outer ray 

 aborted ; (2) acerate, straight, unsymmetrically fusiform, sharply pointed at each end, 

 spinose at short intervals throughout (" barbulae ") ; (3) nail-shaj^ed forms, with a long 

 straight shaft, slightly swollen and pointed at the free end, and expanded horizontally at 

 the other into a circular head, more or less spinose at the edge, very abundant and 

 varied ; (4) hexradiate rosettes with four straight arms without central swelling, ending 

 in four divergent rays disposed round a central one, rays smooth and simply pointed, or 

 else more or less capitate and beset with small spines ; (.5) smaller hexradiate forms, in 

 which all the four rays are equally developed, straight, pointed and spinose. 



Since Carter has designated this Farrea from Japan (off Misaki) by the title Farrea 

 occa, and described it with sufficient clearness to admit of its being recognised, 

 Bowerbank's name may be retained for this definite form. Pis. LXXL, LXXIL, LXXIIL, 

 and LXXVL were printed before I received Carter's paper, so that I was unable to 

 change the specific designation Farrea haechelii into Farrea occa (Bowerbank) 

 Carter. 



Generic Cliaracter. — A simple tubular stalk, attached by its compact expanded base, 

 bears a dichotomously branched anastomosing tube-work, the walls of which are supported 

 by a dictyonal framework with rectangular meshes. In older specimens the dictyonal 

 framework is below of more than one layer, but it becomes gradually thinner towards the 

 upper end, and finally forms a single-layered meshwork. From each of the intersections 

 of this network a stout rough spine projects at right angles both inwards and outwards. 

 Besides the pentact hypodermalia and h5q30gastralia other dermalia occur as clavulse with 

 a nail-like, clavate, or verticillate shape. Besides uncinates, the parenchyma contains 

 oxyhexasters, and in some sj)ecies discohexasters. 



Many species of Farrea have been already erected and described, but mostly with 



1 Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 5, vol. xv. p. 387, 1885. 



