SPONGES FROM COASTAL BEACHES OF N. S. WALES — WHITELEGGE. 115 



20 mm. in diameter at their origin, narrowing to about 10 mm. 

 at the summits ; grooves, about 8 mm. in diameter. A flabellate 

 specimen measures 190 mm. in height, 250 mm. in breadth, and 

 about 25 mm. in thickness ; the grooves are from 3 to 4 mm. in 

 diameter. 



Stelospongia flabelliformis, Carter. 



Stelospongris flabelliformis, Carter, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (5), xv., 

 1885, p. 305. 



Stelospongia flabellum, Lendenfeld, Mon. Horny Sponges, 1889, 

 p. 501, pi. xxxix., fig. 6, 



A single worn example is here doubtfully referred to this species. 

 The specimen agrees with Lendenfeld's figure, and has been com- 

 pared microscopically with two slides prepared from specimens 

 named by Carter, one of which presents characters identical with 

 the Lake Illawarra example. The main fibres consist of trellised 

 columns, cored with sand grains ; the diameter of the fibres is 

 about 0*2 mm. The connecting fibres consist of a few stout 

 kinds about 0'8 in thickness ; these branch and give rise to a 

 dense, close, felt-like network of extremely thin fibres, which fill 

 up the interstices between the main and the stouter secondaries. 

 The denser parts of the sponge, on the cut surface, appears like 

 chamois leather in texture, the density being due to the abundance 

 and fineness of the fibres. In appearance the specimen presents 

 characters such as would be evident in half of the example figured 

 by Lendenfeld without the peduncle. The colour is like that of 

 a light-coloured bath sponge ; the texture is hard, tough, and 

 scarcely compressible ; the surface is minutely conulose, and bears 

 abundant inhalent pores from 0'5 to 1'5 in diameter. The central 

 grooves are continuous and a.xially parallel; the lateral grooves 

 are oblique and occasionally branched ; their diameter is between 

 3 and 5 mm., and their depth is about 4 mm. 



Locality, Lake Illawarra. 



HiRCiNiA, Nardo. 



HiRCiNiA VARiABLis, Lendenfeld. 



Hircinia variabilis, Lendenfeld, Mon. Horny Sponges, 1 889, p. 

 557, pi. xxxvi., figs. 11 to 14. 



Two specimens from Tuggerah Beach. 



HiRCixiA AUSTRALis, Lendenfeld. 



Hircinia ausiralis, Lendenfeld, Mon. Horny Sponges, 1889, p. 

 573, pi. xxxvi., figs. 7-9. 



One example from Tuggerah Beach. 



