54 



AET. 1. — I. IJIMA : HEXACTINELLIDA, III. 



In general tbe sponge is ovoid and goblet-like or more 

 elongate and vase-like. Total height, up to 200 mm. or more. 

 Inferiorly it is attached to the hard substratum by a short, thick, 

 stalk-like base. The wall is thick and consists of remarkably 

 loosely interwoven tissues. It presents quite a cavernous appear- 

 ance on account of the wide spaces within it. Hence the generic 

 and specific name I have chosen for the sponge. 



To make special mention of a few specimens, the one shown 

 in PL IV., fig. 1, reduced to one-third the natural size, is the 

 fragment (Sei. Coll. Mus. No. 443) from which I originally 

 described the species. It is a part of a large individual, with 

 the wall as thick as 52 mm. and measuring not less than 160 

 mm. in diameter of body as judged from the curvature of the 

 external surface. The piece includes a portion of the stalk-like 

 base. In general shape the entire individual must have closely 

 resembled the one shown in the woodcut given below. 



This complete and 

 beautiftdly preserved speci- 

 men belonged to Mr. Alan 

 Owston (O. C.='= No. 106). 

 i Total height, 185 mm. 



I Diameter in the middle of 



body, 126 mm. Wall in 

 the middle, 30-44 nnn. 

 thick. The osculum at 

 the U])per end was oval, 

 measuring 47 mm. by 63 



A complete specimen Chaunnplec- • t . j_i 



.7/ //^ n AT 1^/^^ Ü 1 1 i^^ii^- 111 diameter; the 



ieila cavernosa (O. L. JNo. lUoj. i\euuceu ' 



to i natural size. margin was thick and 



* O. C. stands for Owston Collection. 



