PORIFEKA OF THE L.M.B.C. DISTRICT. ^13 



A single specimen bad previously been recorded from 

 Cburcb Bay, near Holybead. On tbe " Hyaena" expedi- 

 tion of May 25tb, 1890, we dredged tbree specimens in 

 Penrbos Bay (10 fatboms) and off Kboscolyn Beacon 

 (12 fatboms), on tbe west coast of x\nglesea. Tbe best of 

 tbe specimens sbowed a narrow base witb four brancbes, 

 tbree of wbicb were again divided dicbotomously. Tbe 

 colour was a dull purple. Tbe beigbt of tbe specimens 

 ranges between 4 and 6 cm. Tbeir brancbes are perfectly 

 cylindrical, wbilst Bowerbank's * figure sbows rugged 

 ridges along tbe brancbes. Probably Bowerbank's figare 

 is not quite reliable, as it bad been taken from a dried 

 specimen. 



RaspaiUa rig Ida, Montagu. 



Spongia rigida, Montagu, Mem. Weni. Soc, vol. ii., pt. i. 



Non Raspaih'a (?) rigida, Ridley and Dendy, Cliall. Rep., p. 191. 



Tbe species, wbicb in my former report I regarded as 

 RaspaiUa stelUgera, Scbmidt, seems in reality to be Ras- 

 pailia rigida, Montagu. Topsent's t recent paper bas 

 drawn my attention to tbis fact. Tbere are two species 

 of tbe genus RaspaiUa, Nardo, wbicb possess stellate 

 spicules, botb first described by Montagu under tbe names 

 Spongia stuposa and Spongia rigida, the latter differing from 

 tbe former by baving mucb sborter brancbes and larger 

 stellate spicules. Bowerbank considered tbe Sp. rigida 

 merely as a dwarfed variety of Sp. stuposa, and included 

 botb in tbe name Dictgocglindras stajyosns. But Topsent 

 sbows tbat tbey are really distinct species. Consequently 

 as my specimens bave very sbort brancbes indeed and 

 comparatively large stellate spicules, I consider tbem to 

 be RaspaiUa rigida, M. As stated by Topsent, tlie Ras- 



* Bowerbank, loc. cit , vol. iii., pi. xvi. 

 + Eniile Topsent, loe. cit. 



