BY E. F. KALLMANN. 



425 



appearance, according to the extent to which the fleshy substance 

 has been removed. Those dried without previous maceration are 

 slightly shrunken, have a rough, granu- 

 lar, usually uncracked surface, and are 

 hard and brittle; on the other hand, 

 well macerated and washed-out speci- 

 mens, which are moderately flexible, 

 show in each of the branches a dense 

 core, and from this numerous short 

 fibres stand out like bristles, producing 

 an appearance not unlike that of a 

 worn-down bottle-brush. The skeleton 

 consists (i.) axially, of a stout, densely 

 spicular, core occupying the whole in- 

 terior of the branches to within about 

 1-5 mm. of the surface; and (ii.)extra- 

 axially, of non-plumose, sometimes 

 slightly wispy multispicular fibres, 

 which, issuing in an obliquely upward 

 direction from the core, run outwards 

 at fairly regular distances apart, gradu- 

 ally curving on the way, to meet the 

 surface almost at right angles. These 

 fibres, which are composed of oxea held 

 together by a barely discernible amount 

 of spongin, usually remain unbranched, 

 and are not connected by transverse 

 fibres. Scattered spicules occurring 

 between the fibres are extremely rare 

 in the more superficial, canal-traversed, 

 region of the sponge, but become 

 more numerous in proximity to the 

 core, and are there sometimes rather 

 abundant. It is apparently owing to 

 the gradual addition to the core, as 



FigAQ-Aximlla miraiUiaca. crrowth proceeds, of the innermost 

 a.Uxea and occasional styli. » i • , 



6,Strongyla. 01 these spicules, (oxea) lynig circum- 



