80 Proceediiif/s of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



6. Sycon minutum, ii. sp. 



Solitary; sessile, or with very short stalk; sub-cylindrical 

 or sausage-shaped, with naked terminal osculum surrounded 

 by a membianous extension cxf the wall of the gastral cavity. 

 Texture characteristically soft and s])ongy; surface minutely 

 conulose. Usually only abotit 5 or 6 mm. in height by 

 2 mm. in breadth. 



Canal system typical ; chambers rather short, thimble- 

 shaped, often octagonal in transverse section, with low 

 rounded distal cones ; inhalant canals usuall}' square in. 

 transverse section. 



Skeleton arranged as usual. Spicules as follows : — 

 (1) Gastral quadriradiates ; facial rays straight, subequal in 

 length, very long, slender and gradually sharp-pointed, 

 measuring about 012 by 00035 mm. ; oral angle somewhat 

 smaller than the paired angles; apical ray short, relatively 

 stout, slightly curved, sharp-pomted, about 0-03 mm. long. 

 Towards the osculum these spicules become much more 

 markedly sagittal. (2) Gastral triradiates ; like the foi'e- 

 going, but without apical ray. (3) Subgastral triradiates, 

 not distinguishable in form from the ordinary tubar spicules. 



(4) Tubar triradiates ; varying from sagittal, with very 

 widely e::tended, slightly curved, oral rays, to sub-regular; 

 rays long and slendei', gradually sharp-pointed, the basal 

 not much longer than the orals, measuring about O'l by 

 0006 mm. ; these spicules are rather irregularly arranged. 



(5) Oxea of the distal cones ; not very numerous ; long, 

 slender, straight or very slightly curved ; fusiform and 

 gradually sharp-pointed at each end ; measuring about 0'28 

 by 0007 mm. ; arranged in loose tufts which project 

 obliquely upwards from the distal cones towards the 

 osculum. 



Locality. — Watson's Bay, Ft. Jackson (coll. T. Whitelegge). 



7. Sycon raphaiius, 0. Schmidt. 



Sycon raphanus, 0. Schmidt. Spong. Adriat. Meer., p. 14. 



Abundant in the collection. Solitary, usually about half 

 an inch in height, with well developed stalk, markedly 

 conulose surface and small oscular fringe. In spiculation I 

 can find no tangible distinction between this common 

 Victorian species and the European S. raphanus as described 

 by Hajckel in " Die Kalkschwamme." 



