158 ART. 7. — I. IJIMA : HEXACTINELLIDA, IV. 



presented the appearance of dispersing after having been set free 

 from the thesocyte wliich originally contained them alL Qnite 

 isolated spherules, evidently the same as those of thesocytes, are 

 occasionally found sticking to tlie trabecuhe. 



The peculiar rosette-like bodies depicted in PI. XT., fig. 21, 

 were met with in profusion in a prejDaration of a specimen taken 

 in April. Reference to them has already been made on p. 31 

 of this Contribution, under Scyphidium longisjjina. The body 

 consists of a varying number of well-stained spindle-like or rod- 

 like pieces in radial arrangement. These measure up to 4 /^ in 

 length. The figure was included in the plate under a suspicion 

 that the bodies might represent stages in the spermatogenesis, 

 but now I think they are something, extrinsic or otherwise, at 

 any rate quite foreign to the sponge. 



ACANTHASCUS ALANI Ij. 



PI. X., figs. 16-23. 

 Acanthascas alani. Ijima, '98, p. -vj. 



The species is based on a single specimen (PI. X., fig. 16) 

 which originally belonged to Mr. Alan Ow^ston (O. C. 4097) 

 but is now in the collection of the British Museum. 



It is a dried specimen greatly macerated on the exterior. 

 In shape it is ovoid, goblet-like and slightly laterally compressed. 

 The lower end contracts into a short, stalk-like and irregular 



