SPONGES FROM COASTAL BEACHES OF N. S. WALES "WHITELEGGE 107 



diameter. The cup is 65 mm. across and about the same in depth. 

 A large osculum is present at the base, and numerous smaller 

 oscula are scattered over the inner surface. The outer surface is 

 reticulatejy ridged, with deep, rounded, or elongated pits between 

 the ridges, especially in the upper portion of the sponge. The 

 main fibres are cored with sand grains and foreign spicules ; in 

 some cases the axial core is dense, knotty, and continuous ; in 

 others the sand grains are wanting, or are remote from each 

 other. Foreign spicules are often present, and frequently project 

 from the fibres. There is a large example of this form in the 

 exhibited collection from Henley Beach, South Australia. It 

 measures 32-5 mm. in height, with a peduncle 120 mm. in length, 

 and 20 mm. in thickness ; the cup is 200 mm. in diameter across 

 the summit, and 180 mm. in depth. The distal third of the outer 

 surface presents a series of irregular longitudinal ridges, with 

 deep wide valleys between. The lower two-thirds is thickly 

 studded with angular processes 20 mm. high and about 10 mm. 

 in thickness ; they are often isolated, but generally they are 

 more or less connected by thin bridges of fibre, which connect the 

 ridges and processes and form the boundaries of the pits. The 

 main fibres are charged with spicule fragments and large sand 

 grains. 



Thorecta exemplum, var. prima, Lendenfeld, is represented in 

 the exhibited collection by five specimens named by the author 

 (Nos. 66, 70, 71, 72, 73). No. 66 is exactly like No. 67 which is 

 labelled Thorecta exemplum, var. secunda, neither of which agree 

 with the descriptions. No. 70 to 73 are in accord with the 

 diagnosis, and are undoubtedly young examples of Spoiigelia 

 rectilinea, var. tenuis, Hyatt. 



In the Fisheries collection there are over a hundred specimens 

 of this form ; they exhibit a great range of variation, from flabel- 

 late to half or complete cup-shaped, with almost every intermediate 

 stage represented between them, from the simple pedunculate 

 frond 50 mm. high and 55 mm. broad, and 3 mm. in thickness, 

 to the massive vase-shaped kind, such as that illustrated by Hyatt. 

 They all exhibit the same texture, arrangement, and contents of 

 the fibres, their difi'erences being confined to the shape, size, and 

 the aspect of the outer surface ; the latter, in immature flabellate 

 or half cup-shaped examples, is often nearly smooth, whilst in some 

 there are slight depressions, such as might be made by pressure 

 from the tips of fingers ; the depressions are rarely surrounded by 

 raised ridges ; in even the largest examples the depressions are 

 always shallow, never deep and pit-like. Young specimens gener- 

 ally have a distinct peduncle ; as growth proceeds this becomes 

 broader, with scarcely any increase in length ; this feature is 

 constant, and certainly does not aff"ord any evidence of afiinity 

 with the long-stalked form described as var. secunda. 



