212 Mr. II. J. Carter on Deep-sea 



guished (tig. 5). Further, it is remarkable for having only one 

 form of skeleton-spicule, and that acerate, and only one form of 

 flesh-spicule, which, so far as is known, is unique ; also for the 

 length of the skeleton-spicules at the apex of the body, where 

 they present a tubular fringe round an apical vent, like that 

 seen in some of the Calcispongise, ex. gr. Orantia ciliata &c. 

 I think, from the villous even surface and general composition 

 of this sponge, it might be necessary to place it among the 

 Suberites, in which case it would come into my 5th division, 

 viz. Rayneei^. 



Melonanchora ellipttca, n. gen. et sp. PI. XIII. figs. 6-12, and 



PI. XV. fig. 35, a, b. 



General form globular, corrugated, studded with projecting 

 tubercles over the upper two thirds, smooth below this, where 

 it partly encloses a small stone (figs. 6 & 7,bb). Free. Colour 

 grey. Composed of a stiff, glistening, bladder-like dermis, en- 

 closing a soft fibreless parenchyma. Dermis formed of a wove- 

 like texture, composed of linear spicules, intercrossing each other 

 on the same plane, and held together by tough horny sarcode (fig. 

 8, a), corrugated, and presenting rounded tubercles (figs. 6 & 

 7, a a), whose heads respectively are cribriform (fig. 8) . Pores and 

 vents respectively situated in the cribriform tubercles (fig. 8). 

 Internal structure massive, fibreless, permeated by the excretory 

 canal-systems, which have their vents respectively in the 

 tubercles ; charged with skeleton- and flesh-spicules, together 

 with ova sufficiently large to be seen with the unassisted eye. 

 Spicules of two kinds, viz. skeleton- and flesh-spicules. Ske- 

 leton-spicules of two forms, viz. : — one, the largest, which is 

 chiefly confined to the parenchyma, smooth, acuate, curved, 

 and abruptly pointed, averaging, in its largest size, 53 by 

 l-1800th inch in its greatest diameters (PI. XV. fig. 35, b) ; and 

 the other, which is the smallest, and chiefly confined to the 

 dermal texture, smooth, slightly curved, fusiform, and inflated 

 at the ends, averaging, in its largest size, 35 by l-1800th of 

 an inch in its greatest diameters (fig. 35, a). Flesh-spicule of 

 one form only, viz. equianchorate (PL XIII. fig. 9), in which 

 the three arms, growing towards each other (fig. 11), at length 

 unite, and, with the shaft, ultimately form two ellipses, which, 

 cutting each other longitudinally and at right angles (fig. 10), 

 give a melon-shaped appearance to the anchorate (fig. 9), which, 

 but for the gradation of all its stages of development being pre- 

 sent, from the simple embryonic egmanchorate form (fig. 12, a b), 

 like that of Halichondria incrustans, to the fully developed 

 melon-shaped one, would hardly have been thought to have 



