E. IMPERIALIS. — MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 83 



the sponge measures 75-100 mm. in length, the lowest end of the 

 body encroaches upon and begins to bury itself in the substratum. 

 This seems to cause degeneration of the soft tissues at the extreme 

 inferior end, which henceforth remains open as before described. 

 A perforated bottom-plate, such as occurs in E. marfihaUi, 

 JE. oweni, E. jovis, &c., does not here come into formation ; it 

 develops, in my opinion, only in those species in which the lower 

 end of the body remains life-long apart from the substratum. 



Miscellaneous Notes. 



E. iinperialishas recently been pointed out by F. E. Schulze 

 (19', p. 29) as having its nearest ally in E. regalis of the Indian 

 Ocean. I should think the latter species is about as nearly, if 

 not more nearly, related to E. ai^pergUlum. Indeed, so close 

 seems the agreement between the single specimen on which 

 E. regalis is based and the not fully mature specimens of the 

 Philippine species, that, should the graphiocome come to be dis- 

 covered in the Indian form — which contingency I presume to be 

 not altogether unlikely with examination of more specimens — 

 there w^ould remain probably only some slight differences in ex- 

 ternal form to fall back upon as differential characters between 

 the two species. 



On several s^^ecimens of E. imperialis were observed un- 

 mistakeable signs of the regeneration of loose tissues at such 

 parts of the external surface as had been stripped of the ledges 

 and flake-tissues by some mechanical cause. Far more substan- 

 tial deformities arise in connection with the repairing of such 

 injuries as the breaking ofi', rending, twisting or bending of the 



