210 LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



diagnosis of it. It comes very near to BaspaiUa, but the 

 latter is conveniently kept distinct on account of its very 

 characteristic whip-like external form." Consequently 

 the genus Axinella seems to fulfill a similar function 

 amongst the Axlnellidce to that of Amphilectus, Vosmaer 

 amongst the Desmacidonidae. 



Externally and in colour, Axinella mammillata, n. sp., 

 has very much the appearance of Polymastia mammillaris, 

 J. It consists of a basal mass with papillae arising from it. 

 The basal mass measures 22 mm. by 16 mm. horizontally 

 and 8 mm. vertically. There are about thirty papillae on 

 the specimen, with a length of 1 to 8 mm. and 1 to 1'5 

 mm. in thickness. Generally we find two or three papillae 

 springing from a common origin. The colour is oiange, 

 with exactly the same tint as Raspailia rujida, M. 



The skeleton consists only of megasclera, and these are 

 styli of two different sizes, the one kind measuring 0*5 

 mm. by 0*008 mm., and the other kind 0"15 mm. by 0004 

 mm. Inside the papillae the longer styli are packed to- 

 gether in bundles which run parallel to the longitudinal 

 axis of the papillae. The shorter styli do not form bundles, 

 they stand at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the 

 papillae, and project for about half their length through 

 the ectoderm. Some of the styli show a slight swelling 

 on their broader end and approach tylostylote character. 



Ceratose is present in this species, but only in very 

 small amount. It is found near the base of the bundles 

 of the large styli. 



Interesting are certain spinrlle-shaped granular cells 

 (see PI. X, figs. 4 and 5) of the mesoderm, measuring about 

 0"018 mm. by 0.003 mm. Their nucleus is small, and often 

 only indistinctly seen. These cells are aggregated together 

 in strands, and are found in the immediate neighbourhood 

 of the longitudinal bundles of styli, and running parallel 



