252 Procceditigs of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



The megascleres are very slender strongyla, and the micros- 

 cleres very minute, much curved, simple and contort sigmata, 

 usually extremely abundant. 



This is an exceedingly common sponge, there being no less than 

 thirty-nine specimens in Mr. Wilson's collection ; the station.s 

 recoi'ded being 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, x A, x B, and Sorrento 

 Jetty. The natural colours of eighteen specimens are recorded ; 

 most are shades of yellow or orange ; three are pink or salmon ; 

 a few are grey with violet or purple tints, and one is bright red. 



In two of the British Museum specimens I have found 

 abundant rods and sigmata, as described by von Lendenfeld ; in 

 the other (d. 2) I have found rods only. In one of Mr. Wilson's 

 later specimens I have also failed to find sigmata (R.N. 1031). 



B.M. d. 2 C'Dysidea kirkii" Reg. 86-12-15-333); d. 5 {''Dysidea 

 kirkit, var. flabelliformis" Reg. 86-12-15-344); d. 6 i^'- Dysidea 

 kirkii" Reg. 86-12-15-323). 



Ji.N. 309; 318; 336; 456; 457; 458; 515; 688; 703; 704; 

 714; 765; 766; 771; 775; 777; 785; 788; 795; 816; 831; 

 832; 854; 859; 864; 883; 894; 908; 943; 954; 985; 993; 

 1030; 1031; 1053; 1059; 1060; 1094; 1198. 



Chondropsis ivilsojti, n. sp. 



Massive, lobose, or irregular ; sometimes compressed, but thick. 

 Vents of moderate size, scattered on prominent parts. Surface 

 rugose or warty, but glabrous and with minutely reticulate 

 dermal membrane between the projections. On the prominent 

 parts of the surface small scar-like sandy areas are scattered, but 

 there is no sandy dermal reticulation. Texture tough, very 

 sandy internally but rather soft and compressible. Colour in 

 spirit nearly white. 



Skeleto/i, stout columns of comparatively coarse sand, more 

 or less widely separated from one another, run vertically to the 

 surface, where they terminate in the scar-like sandy areas already 

 mentioned. The sand grains are cemented together by spongin, 

 and stout clear hor-ny fibres occasionally run across from one 

 sandy column to another. Between the sandy columns loose 

 whisps of megascleres, often more or less enveloped in spongin, 

 run towards the surface. The only dermal skeleton is formed by 

 the loose tufts in wjiich these whisps terminate. 



