76 



Records of the Indian Museum. 



rvoL. XIV, 



They covered the wood for some inches above the water-level of the time 

 (the end of February) in a uniform layer 3-5 to 4 mm. thick. The 

 variety has been found hitherto only in the Museum tank in Calcutta. 



Ephydatia fluviatilis var. intha, var. nov. 

 (Plate XXI, figs. 2, 3). 



The sponge forms spherical or irregular masses not more than 5 cm. 

 in diameter attached to lax water-plants such as Cerafophi/Uum, and 

 occasionally flat, somewhat mound-shaped growths on bamboo posts. 

 In each mass there is as a rule a single large circular depression or a 



lift 



Jv 





2. 



Ephyd'itia fliivialilis vnr. inthi, nov. 

 Fig 1 —Part of a transverse section through a small sponge ( x 8), showing the regular 



and well defined radiating spicule-fibres and a snigle gemmule in situ. 

 Fig *> —Spicules x 250. Several young gemmule-spicules not yet fully developed are 



shown' as well as fully developed spicules of the same order and skeleton- 



spicules. 



group of such depressions into which several wide exhalent channels 

 open. Smaller exhalent channels, however, open directly on the surface. 

 The consistency of the sponges is always very soft, often quite unusually 



