﻿372 
  

  

  COLLECTIOlfS 
  FROM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  explanation 
  seems, 
  however, 
  to 
  suggest 
  itself 
  as 
  possibly 
  applicable 
  

   to 
  some 
  cases 
  of 
  extremely 
  generalized 
  and 
  indefinite 
  types 
  (e. 
  g. 
  

   Reniera 
  indisiincta 
  and 
  Ht/meniacidon 
  caruncida, 
  which 
  are 
  common 
  

   to 
  the 
  British 
  and 
  Australian 
  seas), 
  viz. 
  an 
  independent 
  origin 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  species, 
  or 
  of 
  what 
  to 
  a 
  zoologist's 
  eye 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  species, 
  

   at 
  two 
  different 
  localities. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  points 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  

   possible 
  to 
  distinguish 
  species 
  of 
  (e. 
  g.) 
  Reniera, 
  Hi/meniacidon, 
  Amor- 
  

   pliina, 
  and 
  Suberites 
  from 
  odo 
  another 
  is 
  so 
  small, 
  and 
  these 
  points 
  

   are 
  so 
  variable 
  and 
  so 
  relative 
  in 
  their 
  character, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  

   possible 
  that 
  the 
  same 
  end 
  (^. 
  e. 
  the 
  same 
  specific 
  characters) 
  may 
  

   be 
  attained 
  by 
  development 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  direction 
  of 
  two 
  distinct 
  

   species, 
  the 
  result 
  being 
  a 
  zoological 
  but 
  not 
  a 
  natural 
  species, 
  or, 
  in 
  

   other 
  words, 
  of 
  species 
  which 
  are 
  distinct 
  from 
  each 
  other 
  but 
  which 
  

   cannot 
  be 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  so. 
  

  

  2. 
  Distribution 
  of 
  '•Alert 
  ' 
  Species 
  within 
  Australian 
  Seas. 
  

  

  List 
  of 
  the 
  Species 
  collected 
  on 
  the 
  Australian 
  coasts, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  Ara- 
  

   furaSea, 
  by 
  H.M.S. 
  'Alert,' 
  1881, 
  with 
  their 
  known 
  distribution 
  

   in 
  those 
  waters. 
  [The 
  localities 
  for 
  Southern 
  and 
  "Western 
  

   Australia, 
  and 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  cases 
  for 
  Port 
  Jackson, 
  are 
  given 
  

   from 
  previous 
  writings 
  ; 
  the 
  rest 
  are 
  those 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  ' 
  Alert 
  ' 
  

   investigations.] 
  

  

  Note. 
  — 
  Where 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  a 
  varieiy 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  is 
  given, 
  the 
  distri- 
  

   bution 
  of 
  the 
  typical 
  form 
  is 
  also 
  given 
  (when 
  Australian) 
  opposite 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  

   the 
  species. 
  The 
  stars 
  opposite 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  variety 
  refer 
  exclusively 
  to 
  the 
  

   variety. 
  

  

  Order 
  CARNOSA 
  (not 
  represented). 
  

  

  Order 
  CERATOSA. 
  

   Family 
  SPONGIID^. 
  

  

  1. 
  Cacospongia 
  mollior, 
  Schmidt 
  

  

  2. 
  Eusjjongia 
  foliacea 
  {Esper 
  ?) 
  

  

  O"^ 
  

  

  

  officinalis, 
  Linne, 
  yar. 
  cavernosa, 
  

   uov 
  

  

  4. 
  septosa 
  (Zamarc/i:?) 
  

  

  5. 
  Hippospongia 
  derasa, 
  n. 
  sp 
  

  

  (). 
  IStelospongus 
  excavatus, 
  n. 
  sp 
  

  

  7. 
  iiuplexus, 
  n. 
  sp 
  

  

  8. 
  iutertextus 
  {Hyatt 
  ?) 
  

  

  5M 
  

  

  