﻿378 
  COLLECTIONS 
  FROM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  Terms 
  emphyed. 
  — 
  These 
  are 
  essentially 
  those 
  used 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Carter, 
  

   as 
  in 
  my 
  Eeport 
  on 
  the 
  ' 
  Alert 
  ' 
  collections 
  from 
  the 
  South-American 
  

   coast 
  (Proc. 
  Zool. 
  Soc. 
  1881). 
  The 
  measurements 
  given 
  for 
  spi- 
  

   cules 
  are 
  the 
  average 
  maximum 
  measurements 
  ; 
  the 
  diameter 
  of 
  a 
  

   spicule 
  is 
  its 
  greatest 
  diameter 
  ; 
  spines 
  are 
  not 
  included 
  in 
  spicule- 
  

   measurements. 
  

  

  CERATOSA. 
  

  

  Ceraospongise, 
  Schmidt, 
  Sijong. 
  Adr. 
  Meer. 
  and 
  Atl. 
  Geh. 
  

  

  SPONGIIDiE. 
  

  

  Bibulida, 
  and 
  Ilircirdda, 
  pars, 
  Carter, 
  Ann. 
  ^- 
  Mag. 
  N. 
  H. 
  (4) 
  xvi. 
  

   p. 
  l-i-2. 
  

  

  1. 
  Cacospongia 
  moUior. 
  

   Schmidt, 
  Adr. 
  Meer. 
  p. 
  27. 
  

  

  A 
  specimen 
  in 
  spirit, 
  pedicellate, 
  consisting 
  of 
  one 
  prominent 
  lobe 
  

   and 
  a 
  lower 
  broader 
  portion, 
  and 
  a 
  fragmentary 
  skeleton. 
  The 
  apices 
  

   of 
  the 
  conuli 
  are 
  about 
  iJ 
  millim. 
  apart 
  ; 
  the 
  consistence 
  is 
  firm 
  but 
  

   compressible 
  and 
  elastic, 
  the 
  dermis 
  black 
  and 
  glabrous, 
  the 
  sarcode 
  

   rather 
  opaque 
  yellowish 
  brown 
  ; 
  the 
  primary 
  fibres 
  long, 
  straight, 
  

   and 
  with 
  -very 
  rare 
  foreign 
  bodies, 
  diameter 
  1 
  millim. 
  ; 
  the 
  secon- 
  

   daries 
  making 
  very 
  various 
  angles 
  with 
  the 
  primaries, 
  and 
  forming 
  

   numerous 
  irregular 
  meshes 
  of 
  variable 
  size 
  and 
  angular 
  shajie 
  ; 
  

   diameter 
  of 
  fibre 
  'Oyo 
  to 
  "07 
  millim. 
  ; 
  fibre 
  of 
  both 
  kinds 
  coarsely 
  

   laminated. 
  

  

  The 
  specimen 
  is 
  GS 
  millim. 
  (2| 
  inches) 
  high, 
  25 
  millim. 
  in 
  greatest 
  

   breadth, 
  12 
  millim. 
  in 
  greatest 
  thickness, 
  and 
  seems 
  to 
  agree 
  in 
  the 
  

   main 
  wnth 
  Schmidt's 
  species, 
  although 
  the 
  network 
  of 
  the 
  fibre 
  is 
  

   less 
  regular 
  and 
  close. 
  

  

  Hah. 
  Prince 
  of 
  AVales 
  Channel, 
  Torres 
  Straits, 
  5-7 
  fms. 
  

  

  Distribution. 
  Adriatic 
  (Schmidt). 
  

  

  2. 
  Euspongia 
  foliacea. 
  

  

  ? 
  Spongia 
  foliacea, 
  Usper, 
  Pjlanzenthiere, 
  Fortsetz. 
  i. 
  p. 
  201, 
  pi. 
  Ivi. 
  

   ? 
  Platychalioa 
  foliacea, 
  Thiers, 
  Die 
  Espersch. 
  Spong. 
  p. 
  21. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  with 
  much 
  regret 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  to 
  express 
  a 
  doubt 
  whether 
  

   the 
  sponge 
  for 
  which 
  that 
  careful 
  observer, 
  Prof. 
  Ehlers, 
  established 
  

   the 
  above 
  genus 
  is, 
  as 
  he 
  asserts, 
  a 
  Chalinid. 
  My 
  reasons 
  are 
  as 
  

   foUows 
  : 
  — 
  Prom 
  H.M.S. 
  ' 
  Alert 
  ' 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  obtained 
  a 
  sponge, 
  

   in 
  fine 
  preservation 
  although 
  dry, 
  agreeing 
  minutely 
  with 
  Esper's 
  

   figure 
  and 
  description, 
  except 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  pores 
  " 
  are 
  smaller 
  and 
  more 
  

   scattered 
  and 
  numerous, 
  and 
  not 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  back, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  

   front. 
  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  few 
  fragments 
  of 
  spicules 
  of 
  

   different 
  thicknesses, 
  found 
  singly 
  and 
  rarely 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  fibres, 
  there 
  

   are 
  no 
  spicules 
  at 
  all, 
  and 
  the 
  sponge 
  is 
  evidently 
  a 
  Ceratose 
  species, 
  

   ditt'eriiig 
  from 
  the 
  common 
  species 
  of 
  Euspongia 
  only 
  in 
  its 
  flattened 
  

   form. 
  The 
  fibres 
  of 
  tlie 
  main 
  skeleton 
  agree 
  in 
  their 
  consistency 
  

  

  