196 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



chiefly in the direction of the tentacles, up which they are finally continued. They 

 measure 0-45 by 0-04 ; 0-27 by 0-03 ; OS by 0-05 mm. 



The colour of the colony in alcohol is a uniformly greyish-yellow. The spicules are 

 white. 



Habitat. — Admiralty Islands ; depth, 25 fathoms. 



B. Glomeratie. 



a. LobatiB. — The polyps distributed over the branches separately and in bundles. 



Spongodes carnea, n. sp. (PI. XXXVIe. figs. Iff, lb). 



Consisting of a barren stem divided into two thick main branches, which again give 

 oS" somewhat flattened stumps, at times lobose branchlets. These latter may again 

 divide into short lobose twigs. The little polyj) heads are seldom arranged singly, being 

 generally united in groups and lobules on the upper end of the stem and on the branches, 

 branchlets, and twigs. On the terminal twigs the groups are crowded more closely 

 together, so that these are covered with polyp heads ; but not in such a manner as to 

 appear like spikes, as in the group Spicatm, for here the individual lobules are still 

 always distinguishable. Each group consists of three to ten polyp heads, each of which 

 has a short peduncle and is surmounted by a long spicule. The peduncles unite together 

 at the base, from which they either diverge like a crown or stand up in a row, so that 

 the lobe appears to be compressed. 



The colony reaches 155 mm. in height ; the barren stem 45 mm., with a diameter of 

 35 mm. The main branch is 40 mm. long, with a tolerably uniform thickness of 18 

 mm. The lateral branches reach 34 mm. in length, the rounded terminal twigs 13 mm., 

 with a thickness of 6 to 9 mm. at the end. The little polyj) heads, so far as they are 

 isolated, haA^e a height of 2 mm., the sj)icules project for as much as 3 mm. 



The stem and branches have thick, firm walls, which are leathery and thickly packed 

 with fine spicules. The latter are not recognisable by the unassisted eye, and lie scattered 

 confusedly in several layers. The canal-system in the interior consists of wide tubes, 

 separated from one another by thin, soft, partition walls. The spicules in the outer 

 covering of the stem have a very peculiar shape. They are broad, curved spindles, covered 

 with strong erect warts, I'O mm. long and O'l mm. broad. There are also very numerous 

 stellate forms, spheres covered with stout warts, and irregular biradiate spicules, all pro- 

 vided with often branching outgrowths, 0'08 mm. long and 0'025 mm. in diameter, 0'25 

 mm. to 0"18 mm., 0'36 mm. to 0038 mm., &c. All these forms are intimately bound 

 together, and they completely fill the thick connective tissue of the ectoderm. 



In the lobules, from which the polyp heads arise, are found spiny spindles, which are 



