﻿388 
  COLLECTIONS 
  FROM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  gelidfe, 
  which 
  Vosmaer 
  has 
  recently 
  (Mitth. 
  Zool. 
  Stat. 
  Neapel, 
  iv. 
  

   pp. 
  444, 
  445) 
  employed. 
  On 
  the 
  geographical 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  

   members 
  of 
  the 
  Family 
  see 
  the 
  subsequent 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  Collections 
  

   made 
  in 
  the 
  Western 
  Indian 
  Ocean. 
  

  

  14. 
  Dysidea 
  favosa. 
  

  

  Marshall, 
  Zeitsch. 
  loiss. 
  Zool. 
  xxxv. 
  p. 
  98, 
  pi. 
  vi. 
  figs. 
  6-11. 
  

  

  Fragments 
  ; 
  exhibiting, 
  however, 
  the 
  secondary 
  pouches 
  in 
  the 
  

   wall 
  of 
  the 
  tube, 
  into 
  which 
  the 
  excretory 
  canals 
  open, 
  as 
  described 
  

   by 
  Marshall. 
  Here 
  also, 
  as 
  in 
  Marshall's 
  specimens, 
  the 
  foreign 
  

   contents 
  of 
  the 
  fibres 
  are 
  chiefly 
  sponge-spicules, 
  but 
  linear 
  siliceous 
  

   forms 
  seem 
  to 
  prevail. 
  

  

  Hah. 
  Port 
  Darwin, 
  between 
  tide-marks. 
  

  

  Distribution. 
  Bass's 
  Strait 
  {Marshall). 
  

  

  15. 
  Dysidea 
  fusca. 
  

  

  ? 
  Hircinia 
  fusca, 
  Carter, 
  Ann. 
  c^- 
  3Iaff. 
  N. 
  H. 
  (o) 
  vi. 
  p. 
  36. 
  

  

  One 
  specimen 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  two 
  anastomosing 
  lobes, 
  somewhat 
  

   compressed, 
  9-17 
  millim. 
  in 
  diameter, 
  one 
  being 
  pointed 
  and 
  

   45 
  millim. 
  high, 
  the 
  other 
  shorter 
  and 
  blunt. 
  Vents 
  few, 
  scattered 
  

   between 
  conuli 
  ; 
  tubercular, 
  about 
  1 
  millim. 
  across. 
  Couuli 
  2-3 
  

   millim. 
  apart, 
  about 
  1 
  millim. 
  high, 
  apex 
  often 
  ridge-like; 
  interme- 
  

   diate 
  surfaces 
  concave, 
  depressed, 
  glabrous. 
  Texture 
  in 
  spirit 
  fairly 
  

   tough 
  ; 
  colour 
  dark 
  reddish 
  brown. 
  Mr. 
  Carter 
  speaks 
  of 
  the 
  fibre 
  

   being 
  " 
  covered 
  " 
  with 
  foreign 
  material. 
  In 
  this 
  specimen 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  

   coarse, 
  viz. 
  "07 
  to 
  -25 
  millim. 
  thick, 
  and 
  has 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  that 
  of 
  

   Dysidea 
  (i. 
  e. 
  is 
  filled 
  with 
  coarse 
  foreign 
  bodies). 
  Sarcode 
  dense, 
  red- 
  

   dish 
  brown, 
  granular. 
  Main 
  skeleton 
  somewhat 
  irregular, 
  primary 
  

   fibres 
  plainly 
  distinguishable 
  only 
  near 
  surface; 
  secondary 
  fibres 
  

   stout, 
  irregular 
  in 
  direction. 
  Dermal 
  skeleton 
  chiefly 
  composed 
  of 
  

   coarse 
  fibres, 
  -25 
  millim. 
  broad, 
  radiating 
  from 
  conuli. 
  The 
  fibres 
  of 
  

   the 
  main 
  skeleton 
  contain 
  a 
  distinct 
  yellow 
  horny 
  substance, 
  and 
  are 
  

   •occasionally 
  devoid 
  of 
  foreign 
  bodies 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  distance. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  possible 
  that 
  this 
  may 
  be 
  Mr. 
  Carter's 
  species, 
  but 
  his 
  

   description 
  is 
  too 
  short 
  to 
  decide 
  the 
  matter. 
  In 
  a 
  second 
  specimen, 
  

   which 
  covers 
  the 
  upper 
  surfaces 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  and 
  limbs 
  of 
  a 
  crab, 
  

   throwing 
  up 
  short 
  lobose 
  projections 
  at 
  intervals, 
  the 
  conuli 
  are 
  

   smaller, 
  pointed, 
  and 
  only 
  1 
  millim. 
  apart, 
  and 
  the 
  colour 
  is 
  a 
  dull 
  

   reddish 
  brown. 
  

  

  Hah, 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  Channel, 
  Thursday 
  Island, 
  Torres 
  Straits, 
  

   3-4 
  and 
  7 
  or 
  9 
  fms. 
  * 
  

  

  Distrihution. 
  Ceylon 
  ( 
  Carter) 
  ? 
  

  

  Histolofpj. 
  The 
  cortex 
  and 
  subjacent 
  tissues 
  contain 
  large 
  quanti- 
  

   ties 
  of 
  granular 
  reddish-brown 
  cells, 
  with 
  circular 
  outline, 
  appa- 
  

   rently 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  ectoderm 
  (tSchuhe) 
  lining 
  the 
  excretory 
  cavities, 
  

   which 
  give 
  the 
  sjionge 
  its 
  peculiar 
  colour. 
  In 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   paler-coloured 
  sponge 
  they 
  are 
  still 
  distinguishable, 
  but 
  in 
  others 
  

   they 
  are 
  scarcely 
  demarcated 
  from 
  the 
  general 
  transparent 
  sur- 
  

  

  