BY E. F. KALLMANN. 331 



or prominences of any kind. But in its skeletal character, it 

 exhibits considerable agreement with the description, except 

 in one particular. Thus, in keeping with what is therein 

 stated, its skeleton consists of bundles of spicules arranged 

 somewhat in the manner of a network, spongin is not discern- 

 ible, the spicules of the bundles are oxea of large size, and 

 there are present smaller spicules of a different kind. But th^ 

 last-mentioned spicules are stated by Lendenfeld to be oxea, 

 and to occur interstitially in some abundance ; whereas in the 

 specimen, as Whitelegge has already made known, they are 

 styli, and, moreover, are comparatively scarce except in the 

 dermal region. This discrepancy in the matter of spiculation, 

 however, cannot be regarded as serious. For, in the first place, 

 as the smallest of the oxea are of about the same size as the 

 styli, one can see how, through hasty or careless observation, 

 the mistake could easily be made of supposing that all the 

 smaller spicules were oxea ; and in the second place, as regards 

 their abundance, it is possible that in some parts of the sponge 

 the smaller spicules are plentiful, inasmuch as Whitelegge also 

 has described them as numerous. Consequently, the only 

 serious obstacle to the acceptance of the specimen, as a genuine 

 example of Eeniera megarrha/phea, is its apparent non-agree- 

 ment therewith in respect of external features ; but as this 

 may possibly be due merely to its incompleteness, I according- 

 ly propose that the specimen (which, for reasons stated below, 

 I refer to the genus Amorphinopsis) be definitely adopted as 

 the type. 



Description. — Sponge more or less massive: its precise external 

 form not with certainty known. Oscula scattered, variable in 

 size (up to 2 mm. in diameter), irregular in shape, perhaps re- 

 stricted in their occurrence to the more elevated parts of the 

 surface. The surface is generally even, but may become, in 

 places, deeply wrinkled or folded. No dermal membrane is 

 recognisable. The arrangement of the dermal skeleton is such 

 that the surface exhibits a minutely reticulate or a perforate 

 pattern (Plate xvii., fig.5), the one or the other according as the 



