242 ART. 7. 1. IJIMA : HEXACTTNELLIDA, IV. 



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the gap had, so to say, healed and regenerated a natural looking 

 edge which appears nuich like thnt of the oscuhim. 



Speaking of the larger specimens in general, the shape is 

 exquisitely vase-like and in a measure laterally compressed. The 

 sponge stands either erect or is hent at the base. In the latter 

 case the bending takes place invariably in the median plane con- 

 taining the major diameter of the laterally compressed body. The 

 daughter person or persons, occasionally found on the specimens, 

 seem to be restricted in their location to the convex side of the 

 bent basal region. The moderately thick wall is gradually thinned 

 out at the oscular margin, which is sometimes outflaring and 

 sometimes not. The base can not be said to be solid, since the 

 gastral cavity extends almost to the attachment surface. The 

 edge of the extreme base, as seen from the exterior, is often 

 tubercled and indented reminding one of a cat's paw. 



The thin oscular edge is of a finely granular or densely felt- 

 like ajopearance. It may be perfectly simple but more usually is 

 provided with a thin row of fine needle-like marginalia, not over 

 10 mm. in length. The intervals at which these stand out are 

 usually irregular. 



The dermal surface, when in a good state of preservation, is 

 on the whole tolerably smooth except for the small papilla-like 

 prominences and the slightly raised hypodermal strands, both soon 

 to be referred to again. The dermalia form an exceedingly delicate 

 lace work in which the minute meshes are quadrate in shape and 

 measure on an average 170 /^ in length of sides. The hypodermal 

 strands appear as thin streaks which, running in all directions, 

 frequently intersect one another (PI. XVIII., fig. 2). Upon 

 closer attention it will be seen that they form a number of radial 



