DESGEIPTIONS 



OP 



SOUTH AFRICAN SPONGES 



BY 



E. KIRKPATEICK, F.Z.S., 



BRITISH MUSEUM (NATURAL HISTORY). 



:o: 



Dr. J. D. F. Gilchrist, Government Biologist^ of Cape Town, 

 has recently sent to the British Museum a collection of Sponges 

 dredged by him off the coasts of Cape Colony and Natal from 

 depths ranging from 13 to 300 fathoms- Most of the specimens 

 were preserved in formalin, but some were dried. All the wet 

 specimens have been transferred to alcohol. By the kind permis- 

 sion of Professor E- Ray Lankester, their description has been 

 entrusted to me. This collection contains several new and in- 

 teresting forms, and this is not surprising, seeing how little has 

 hitherto been done towards working out the Sponge Fauna of 

 South Africa. 



In the present paper the Hexactinellida and Tetractinellida 

 Choristida are described. 



Below is a list of species : — 



HEXACTINELLIDA. 



Family Rossellidae. 



1. Rhabdocalyptus plumodig-itatus, Kirkpatrick. 



3. C^ateromorpha lankesteri, sp. n. 



B 2 



