Catalogue of Non-Calcareous Sponges. 239 



Halichondria cancellosa., Carter, sp. 



Amorphina cancellosa., Carter, A.M.N.H., January, 1886, p. 50. 



I have not met with any example of this species, nor have I 

 been able to examine the original specimen. It seems to be a 

 large, massive Halichondria. The dry sponge is light and fragile, 

 with numerous vents scattered over the surface. The spicules 

 are oxea, measuring about 0'3 by 0-0062 mm. 



Halichondria arenacea, n. sp. 



Massive, solid, with lai'ge collared vents on the convex upper 

 surface and wide exhalant canals. Texture hard, friable and 

 incompressible, owing to the immense quantity of coarse sand 

 of which the interior is chiefly made up. The dermal membrane 

 is free from sand in places, and then appears thin, delicate and 

 minutely reticulate. Colour in spirit brown, owing to the sand. 



Skeleton, consisting chiefly of the coarse sand grains irregularly 

 and closely aggregated. Between the sand grains is a scanty, 

 irregular spicular network, scarcely fibrous and almost Renierine 

 in character. 



Spicules, slender oxea, gently curved and fairly gi'adually 

 sharp-pointed ; measuring about 0*2 by 0"0045 mm. 



R.N. 629 (x, 19 f ; " lavender-grey "). 



Halichondria (? ) nigrocutis. Carter, sp. 



Amorphina nigrocutis, Carter, A.M.N.H., January, 1886, p. 50. 



This is a massive irregular sponge, of a dark grey colour in 

 spirit, which is due to the deeply pigmented, minutely reticulate 

 dermal membrane. The main skeleton is composed of long, 

 slender oxeote spicules scattered about in the utmost confusion, 

 though sometimes collected into irregular tibroixs tracts. There 

 is a well differentiated dermal skeleton, consisting of a dense 

 feltwork of much smaller oxea lying horizontally ; it may become 

 reticulate from the abundance of the inhalant pores. Numerous 

 brown pigment cells are scattered throughout the sponge, especi- 

 ally tovvards the surface. It is difficult to believe that this sponge 

 is not closely related to some of Mr. Carter's species of Stelletti- 

 nopsis, but I can find no stellate microscleres. SoUas has already 



