[lambb] sponges from THE ATLANTIC COAST OF CANADA 187 



specimens from the islands oflf the north coast of Scothuid. lîowerbank 

 failed to recognize the presence of pore-areas, which were found by 

 Eidley and Dendj^, to exist in his type specimen, and which are admir- 

 ably preserved in one of the specimens from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 



Jn 1887 Ridley and Dendy described^ a sponge, Esperelln Murràyi. 

 from Port Jackson, Australia, which was rcmai'kable for having pore- 

 areas resembling ci'acks on the surface ; also, in a foot-note,'^ they state 

 that, " on examining Bowerbank's dried type, we found the pore cracks 

 in one or two places in a most perfect condition and were enabled to 

 make a microscopic preparation which showed them to be identical with 

 those of Esperella Murrayi, even down to the presence of the transverse 

 bands of mu.scular (?) tissue." 



After a careful study of the lucid and exhaustive description of 

 Esperella Murrayi, the writer fails to see any essential ditference in 

 spiculation, in skeletal arrangement, or in general form, between the 

 Canadian examples of E. lingua and the Australian sponge, E. Murrayi. 



The measurements of the spicules of a specimen preserved in alcohol 

 are as follows : (1) Tylostyli ; length varying from 0685 to 1'15 mm. 

 (Plate I., tig, 6). (2) Large palmate anisochelœ, frequently occurring 

 in rosettes ; maximum length 0-104 mm. (Plate L, figs. 6b, 6c}. A 

 smaller form, with an average length of 0*045 mm., and probably an 

 immature stage of the larger anisochela>, occurs in great abundance, 

 especially in the sieve-like membrane of the pore-areas. (3) Sigmata ; 

 average length 0026 mm., simple and contort (Plate I., figs. 6d, 6e). 

 (4) Trichodragmata ; length 0-06 mm. (Plate L, fig. 6/). 



In a sj)ecimen from Portland, Maine, collected by Sir William 

 Dawson, the tylostyli are not quite so large ; they vary in length from 

 0-342 to 0-575 mm. (Plate I., fig. 6(f). 



Locality. — Dredge A 1. Oft' Cap des Rosiers and Cape Gaspé, in 75 

 to 80 fathoms, stones, two s])ecimens and some fragments, diy ; also one 

 specimen presei'ved in alcohol, J. F. Whiteaves, 1872. One sj)ecimen, 

 dry, Gaspé, Sir William Dawson. 



Distribution. — Gulf of St. Lawrence ; northeast coast of the 

 United States (Yerrill) ; Greenland, lat. 61° 15' N., long. 49° 11' W. and 

 lat. 59° 3' N., long. 43° 25' AV. (Fristedt). 



Foreign distribution. — Western Islands, Outer Skerries and Unst, 

 Scotland (Bowerbank) ; lat. 72° 36'5 N., long. 24° 57'5 E., lat. 72° 14'8 

 N., long. 22° 30'9 E. and lat. 75° 13' K, long. 15° 46'1 E. ((Vosmaer) ; 

 European Arctic Ocean" and Barents Sea (Fristedt). 



1 Rep. Monaxonida, Zool. Chall. Exp., vol. xx., p. 67, pi. xiii., figs. 11, 13, 14, 16, 

 17, 18 and pi. xiv., flgs. 1, In. 

 - fbid., p. xxxix. 



