W. LEUCXAETI. — MISCELLANEOUS NOTE. 293 



and inferiorly passes, without sharp demarcation, into a stalk- 

 like portion of the branched cœnosarc, which traverses the 

 parenchymal tissue of the stem-wall and of the branches. The 

 cœnosarc is 30-60/^ thick and apparently solid, though probably 

 in fact tubular. Its branches possibly undergo anastomoses. In 

 places it seemed to bear shorter or longer, blindly terminating 

 branches which were sometimes swollen and club-like at the free 

 end. These are probably early stages in the development of new 

 persons by budding. A perisarc is wanting to the entire colony 

 (gymnoblastic). Nestle-capsules oval-shaped and very small, 

 measuring scarcely 5 ;^ in length. 



The Hydrozoa is at any rate closely similar to the species 

 inhabiting W.flemmingl, which has been figured by F. E. Schulze 

 in the Challenger Keport, PI. XI, fig. 4. It is clearly different 

 from either Stephanoscyphus mirabilis Allm {=Spongicola fistulosa 

 F. E. ScH., known to inhabit several Monaxonid species) or 

 Amphibrachiwn euplectellœ F. E. Sch. ('8o). 



F. E. Schulze, when describing the external from of W. 

 ftemmingi, had some doubts as to whether he had to do with a 

 normally shaped specimen, or not rather with one essentially 

 modified on account of the presence of the commensal Hydrozoa. 

 He was apparently led to entertain this doubt from a certain 

 Adriatic Myxilla which is normally of a compact bulbous body, 

 but acquires a shape like a tuft of the common heath when 

 invaded by Stephanoscyphus mirabilis. As for W. leucharti, I 

 think the shape ascribed to it in the above, and its association 

 with the Hydrozoa, may fairly be said to be constant, since, in 

 more than a score of specimens, not a single case has been 

 observed that suggested the contrary. 



