255 



finely reticulated with the pores in the meshes, that on the 

 inner surface (in the few places where it had not become 

 eroded) being smooth and apparently imperforate. 



On the outer surface slightly raised longitudinal ridges of 

 oscules, two-deep, radiating up from base to edge and branch- 

 ing dichotomously ; on the inner surface several concentric 

 ridges of oscules, the latter also being arranged two-deep. 

 Texture firm but compressible, and soft and elastic in water. 

 Colour in dry state greyish-white where the cortex persists ; 

 skeleton dark amber brown. 



Skeleton (as in Euspoiigia). Main fibres filled with sand grains 

 and spicules, rather knotted and irregular, 60-100 yn thick, 

 radiating in fan-like manner from central plane to surface, 

 about I mm. distant from each other at the surface, and with 

 irregular meshes about 0.4 mm. in diameter between the main 

 fibres. 



Secondary fibres, about 30 /x in diameter, without foreign 

 particles, and with only a thread-like axial core. 



Locality J. — Lat. 33° 53' S., long. 25*^ 51' E. ; 30 fathoms; 

 bottom, mud, sand and specks. 



There are two dried specimens, the larger being 16 cm. high, 

 16 X 28 cm. in diameter at the mouth, and in the cavity of the 

 cup 13 cm. deep ; the stalk is 2.5 cm. long, and the wall i cm. 

 thick. 



The second specimen is much smaller and worn into holes. 

 The concentric oscular ridges on the inner surface do not 

 form complete circles ; the ridges are about 8 mm. high, and 

 10 mm. broad at the base, the oscules being each about i mm. 

 in diameter. The shape of the specimens and the presence of 

 the concentric ridges on the inner surface recall the Spongla 

 agaricina, var., figured by Esper [8, p. 206, pi. lix.], from 

 Surinam. 



The existence of the fine sandy cortex seems to me sufficient 

 to exclude this form from Euspoiigia. Lendenfeld observes 

 [11, p. 227] that a dense cortex is never present in this genus. 

 Other characters which Lendenfeld attributes to Coscinodeima, 

 such as the existence of " large continuous sub-dermal cavities 

 without vestibular spaces," I have not been able to make out in 

 the dried specimens. The comparatively small size of the 

 meshes and of the axial core of the fibres excludes this species 

 from Thon'cta. 



Genus Stelospongia (Schmidt). 

 Stelospongia, sp. 



Sponge pyriform. Colour, where covered by dermal mem- 

 brane, pale grey ; colour of skeleton, brown. Conuli, from 



