﻿368 
  COLLECTIONS 
  FEOM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  Chalinidae 
  are 
  especially 
  abundant 
  (16 
  species, 
  5 
  new). 
  No 
  essen- 
  

   tially 
  new 
  types 
  occur; 
  but 
  of 
  two 
  new 
  genera, 
  one 
  (Toxochcdma) 
  

   is 
  formed 
  in 
  recognition 
  of 
  a 
  character, 
  hitherto 
  overlooked, 
  connect- 
  

   ing 
  this 
  family 
  with 
  the 
  Desmacidinidae. 
  Seventeen 
  Kenieridse 
  (5 
  

   new) 
  occur, 
  which 
  are 
  chiefly 
  remarkable 
  for 
  their 
  close 
  resemblance 
  

   to 
  European 
  forms, 
  all 
  the 
  genera 
  and 
  three 
  species 
  being 
  already 
  

   known 
  from 
  Europe. 
  The 
  Desmacidinidoe 
  have 
  19 
  species, 
  and 
  

   include 
  9 
  now 
  forms, 
  and 
  a 
  species 
  for 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  established 
  a 
  

   new 
  genus, 
  Gelliodes, 
  which 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  extreme 
  development 
  

   of 
  the 
  well-known 
  European 
  GelVius 
  (Desmacodes, 
  Schmidt), 
  also 
  

   two 
  species 
  for 
  which 
  a 
  genus 
  (lotrochota) 
  is 
  formed, 
  in 
  tardy 
  

   recognition 
  of 
  their 
  great 
  distinctness 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  probably 
  related 
  rather 
  

   to 
  the 
  deep-sea 
  genera 
  Chondrodadia 
  and 
  Cladorrhiza 
  than 
  to 
  any 
  

   littoral 
  genera, 
  except 
  Monanchora, 
  Carter, 
  and 
  is 
  remarkable 
  as 
  

   being 
  a 
  persistent 
  littoral 
  representative 
  of 
  what 
  was 
  probably 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  earliest 
  types 
  of 
  Desmacidines, 
  viz. 
  that 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  aucho- 
  

   rate 
  spicule 
  was 
  symmetrical. 
  Such 
  old 
  types 
  usually 
  survive 
  only 
  in 
  

   the 
  deep 
  sea 
  or 
  fresh 
  water 
  ; 
  we 
  have 
  already 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  deep 
  sea 
  

   produces 
  examples 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  probably 
  the 
  Spongillidte 
  with 
  biro- 
  

   tulate 
  spicules 
  are 
  also 
  modern 
  representatives 
  of 
  this 
  type, 
  which 
  

   (or 
  whose 
  ancestors) 
  have 
  taken 
  refuge 
  in 
  fresh 
  water. 
  Eemai'kable 
  

   as 
  are 
  the 
  outward 
  forms 
  assumed 
  by 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Rliizocha- 
  

   lina 
  here 
  described, 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  surprise 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  studied 
  

   the 
  paper 
  in 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Carter 
  recently 
  described 
  (under 
  the 
  name 
  

   PMceodictyon) 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  belonging 
  to 
  this 
  genus 
  from 
  

   various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  ; 
  perhaps, 
  however, 
  Torres 
  Straits 
  will 
  

   prove 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  prolific 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  locality. 
  

   The 
  Ectyonidae 
  are 
  remarkably 
  rich 
  in 
  new 
  forms 
  (10 
  species 
  out 
  

   of 
  17). 
  Cktthria, 
  which 
  is 
  small 
  in 
  growth 
  and 
  not 
  very 
  rich 
  in 
  

   species 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  Mediterranean, 
  here 
  assumes 
  a 
  great 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  number 
  of 
  species. 
  The 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  Axi- 
  

   nellidae 
  is 
  as 
  much 
  bathybial 
  as 
  littoral, 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  which 
  

   fact 
  we 
  only 
  have 
  three 
  species 
  here. 
  Of 
  the 
  8 
  species 
  of 
  Suberitidae, 
  

   4 
  are 
  new. 
  

  

  The 
  suborder 
  Tetractinellida 
  is, 
  in 
  conformity 
  with 
  the 
  fondness 
  

   for 
  greater 
  depths 
  and 
  the 
  relative 
  scarcity 
  of 
  individuals 
  which 
  its 
  

   members 
  commonly 
  exhibit, 
  represented 
  by 
  only 
  7 
  species, 
  of 
  which 
  

   four 
  are 
  new, 
  and 
  all 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  Choristidae 
  (Sollas). 
  

  

  The 
  Calcarea 
  are 
  poorly 
  represented 
  (3 
  species), 
  and 
  afford 
  nothing 
  

   of 
  great 
  interest 
  from 
  a 
  taxonomic 
  point 
  of 
  view. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  given 
  further 
  details, 
  where 
  necessary, 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  remark- 
  

   able 
  systematic 
  points 
  under 
  the 
  different 
  groups 
  themselves, 
  and 
  a 
  

   classified 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  inserted 
  in 
  the 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  Geogra- 
  

   phical 
  Distribution. 
  

  

  Anatomy 
  and 
  Histolor/y 
  of 
  Soft 
  Parts. 
  — 
  Want 
  of 
  time 
  has 
  pre- 
  

   vented 
  me 
  from 
  thoroughly 
  investigating 
  these 
  subjects 
  at 
  present, 
  

   interesting 
  and 
  important 
  in 
  the 
  extreme 
  as 
  they 
  are, 
  and 
  favourable 
  

   in 
  many 
  cases 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  as 
  is 
  the 
  material 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  

   collection. 
  A 
  few 
  notes 
  relating 
  specially 
  to 
  the 
  histology 
  will 
  

   be 
  found 
  scattered 
  throughout 
  the 
  Report 
  (see 
  especially 
  Aplysina, 
  

  

  