258 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



mainly towards the surface and end in the conuli. Very 

 loosely and irregularly reticulate in parts. No dermal skeleton. 



Megascleres ; long and slender, usually more or less curved, 

 with variable ends ; strongylote, oxeote or stylote. Size very 

 variable, commonly about 0-45 by 0-0055 mm. 



Microscleres ; numerous long, hair-like rhaphides; scattered 

 and in loose bundles of very variable length ; sometimes about 

 - 2 mm. long, but often more or less. 



R.N. 314 (18 f.; " very light grey-buff''); 621 (x, 191; "smoke- 

 grey"); 737 (x B; "pale grey-slate"); 879 (s. 9); 982 (s. 1). 

 1 527 (x, 20 f ; " buff-pink "); ? 1015 (x B). 



Genus Stylotrlchophora. 



Stylotrichophora rubra, Dendy. 



(Continued from Part I., p. 260). 



The following also belong to this species : 



R.N. 510 (x, 20 f.; "coral-red"); 561 (x, 20 f.; "poppy-red"); 

 1043. 



Genus Pseudodathria, n. gen. 



Skeleton reticulate, the libres composed of smooth styli 

 cemented together by spongin; with immense numbers of short 

 spined styli scattered through the soft tissues and forming a 

 dermal crust, but none truly echinating the fibre although often 

 lying alongside it. No microscleres. 



This genus is proposed for the reception of Carter's Halichon- 

 dria compressa, regarded by its describer as " incertce sedis." I 

 was at first misled by the remarkable small, curved spined styli, 

 and their irregularly scattered arrangement into supposing that 

 the species might be nearly related to Higgi?isia, and therefore 

 omitted it from the Ectyonince, amongst which I have now little 

 doubt that it should take its place as an aberrant form, inter- 

 mediate in some respects between Clathria and Pliunohali- 

 chondria. 



The species might, according to definition, be included in 

 Topsent's genus Yvesia* but that appears to me to be a somewhat 

 heterogeneous assemblage which will certainly have to be recon- 



* Campagnes scientifiques du Prince de Monaco. Fascicule II., p. 102. 



