BY E. P. KALLMANN. 427 



strongyles, which, always far fewer than the oxea, are sometimes 

 very scarce. The characters of the spicules are as follows : — 



(a) The oxea (and occasional styli)are in general slightly curved; 

 are cylindrical to within a short distance (at most 40 /x) of their 

 extremities; and taper, either evenly or somewhat irregularly, to 

 usually sharp points. They range in length from about 220 to 

 500 fx, occasionally to as much as 600/x; in some specimens, rela- 

 tively very few exceed 400/a. The stoutest are sometimes not more 

 than 12/x in diameter, and even so may be comparatively scarce; 

 but, in other cases, spicules exceeding 12/x in stoutness are quite 

 plentiful, and a diameter of as much as 17 ju, may be attained. 

 Spicules of all degrees of stoutness down to 2/x, and even less, are 

 present. 



(b)The strongyla are cylindrical and, in general, variously and 

 irregularly flexuous. They vary in length, independently of dia- 

 meter, from about 300 to upwards of 900/x; the longest observed 

 in any specimen measured 1120/x. The maximum stoutness is 

 usually between 6 and 8/x, but in occasional specimens may reach 

 11 /x. According to Whitelegge's measurements, the strongyla 

 may attain a length of 1500/x, but apparently this is an over- 

 statement. 



Loc. — Port Jackson and neighbourhood. 



AXINELLA INFLATA. 



I have failed to find, either in the collection of the Australian 

 Museum or among the fragments received from the British 

 Museum, any species which — in skeletal characters, at any rate — 

 conforms to the description of Axinella inflata even in a remote 

 way. An ostensible type-specimen (labelled ^'Dictyocylindrus 

 inflata") does, indeed occur, and, in certain outward features, it 

 exhibits points of agreement with the description; thus it is of 

 "ramifying" habit, attains approximately to "a height of 100 

 mm.," and is also of "soft and resilient consistency" ; but these 

 resemblances are clearly only accidental, inasmuch as the branches 

 are not "cylindrical," but more or less compressed, and are not 

 terminally inflated, but, on the contrary, are much flattened at 



