RHABDOCALYPTUS MOLLIS. 257 



seen with a single tubular daughter-person, this constituted a 

 very conspicuous feature in that it was somewhat longer, though 

 certainly less broad, than the mother-body. It arose from near 

 the base, so that the formation of a future bud w^as to be 

 anticipated most likely in a position above the daughter-person 

 just referred to. That the second bud may be situated either 

 above or below the first formed, is established by actual cases to 

 be mentioned diiectly. 



In text-figure 9 I have represented a specimen with two 

 secondary oscula in addition to a large primary osculum (0,). 

 Of the former, the larger one {0.>) is situated at the end of a 

 broad branch from the mother-body ; it is evidently the older. 

 The other (OJ — the smaller and younger— is situated in the axil 

 between the branch-like daughter-person and the mother-body ; 

 or, it would be proper to say simply that in that position is 

 situated the second formed daughter-person which seems to have 

 suffered much mechanical injury. The general shape of the sponge 

 has been suggestively described by Mr. Alan Owston as like 

 " a hand with thumb extended." Another specimen of essentially 

 the same shape existed in the collection of the gentleman just 

 mentioned. In it the second daughter-person was well-preserved 

 in the form of a tube, smaller than the first da ugh ter- person and 

 situated between the origin of this and the oscular margin of the 

 mother-person. 



Here a reference may be made to the two specimens which 

 are mentioned by F. E. Schulze in the Challenger Report. Tlie 

 smaller of them is said to have exhibited near the lower end two 

 small roundish apertures. I consider it probable that these 

 apertures were secondarily formed oscula or at any rate some 

 sort of gaps indicative of daughter-persons. The other specimen. 



