480 PROFESSOR E. RAY LANKESTEB. 



the * Jen. Zeitschrift/ but none were so perfectly sym- 

 metrical and uniform in the disposition of the spicules. It 

 is, however^ important to state that the forwardly-pointing 

 spicules, giving the organism a brush-like appearance, are 

 very nearly as abundant in some of the Jersey specimens as 

 in Professor Haeckel's figure. The form which I have 

 drawn was selected as being the commonest in the gathering 

 sent to me. 



There are certain very striking points of identity between 

 the Jersey specimens and Professor Haeckel's figure. The 

 first is the possession of a large disc-like or rather a 

 hemispherical base, which gives support to a narrow stalk, 

 comparable to the stem of a wine glass. The second is the 

 composition of the test from sponge spicules, among which 

 those of Reniera and Esperia predominate, associated with 

 which are spicules of Calcispongife, fragments of the spines 

 of Crustacea, and granules of quartz. It is obvious enough 

 that a composite test of this kind is liable to vary in its 

 components almost indefinitely, according to the material 

 existing in its locality. 



No pores or fenestrse are visible in the walls of the test, 

 excepting anteriorly, where there is a considerable aperture 

 in or deficiency of the test. 



3. The contents of the test. — It is diflUcult to obtain from 

 a fresh specimen of Haliphysema satisfactory evidence of the 

 nature of the living substance which it encloses. Mr. Kent 

 was fortunate enough to observe reticular protoplasm ex- 

 truded from his specimens. Those which I received did not 

 exhibit this phenomenon, owing, no doubt, to the fact that 

 they had been affected by the journey. It was, however, 

 possible, by carefully teazing the fresh specimens with 

 needles, either in salt water or in osmic acid, to obtain frag- 

 ments of a finely granular protoplasm interspersed among 

 the broken-up spicules of the test. These fragments of 

 protoplasm exhibited very usually one or sometimes three 

 or four vesicular nuclei, which could readily be stained with 

 picro-carmine. These nuclei were identical with those 

 drawn in PL XXII, fig. 10. 



The most successful method of separating the test from 

 the contained soft matter I found to be the following : — 

 8j)ecimens which had been placed Avhen quite fresh in 

 chromic acid (^th per cent.), and, subsequently, in alcohol, 

 were treated successively with absolute alcohol, oil of cloves, 

 and Canada balsam, either with or without previous staining 

 by hscmatoxylin. The whole specimen was mounted in bal- 

 sam, and the covering glass then gently pressed, and moved 



