H^ Mr. H. J. Carter on 



by 51-6000ths, and of the latter 36 by 3-6000th.s, tliiis the 

 larger trkadiate is eight times as large as the smaller one, 

 which, on the other hand, is the most numerous, or the 

 " staple spicule " of the body ; 3, qnadri radiates the same as 

 the small triradiates in size, but, of course, provided with 

 the fourth arm, which, as usual, is smaller than the rest. 

 No. 1, the acerates, confined to the surface, where they are 

 arranged tent-like or in a conical form, rising up from a 

 common layer of the same kind on the surface ; no. 2, the 

 triradiates, large and small, confined to the body-structure 

 without any evident arrangement ; and no. 3, the quadriradi- 

 ates, mixed with them, of the same size as the staple or small 

 triradiates, but less numerous, also sparsely echinating with 

 their fourth arm the surface of the larger excretory canals, as 

 before stated. Size of the largest specimen, which is dry, 

 rather compressed, oblong, and rounded on the projecting 

 ]Doints, a})parently produced by attrition while floating about 

 the bottom of the sea, 7| in. long by 3| x 1| in. in its other 

 diameters, but very irregular. 



Obs. The brown colour of this sponge, both wet and dry, 

 its irregular form, its harsh prickly feel from the arms of the 

 large triradiates projecting beyond the common level of tlie 

 surface, together with the internal structure, Avhich is a mix- 

 ture between the cloacal and canalicular excretory systems, 

 and its spiculation, render the species as unmistakable in 

 itself as it is unmistakably like Hackel's Leucaltis Jloridana 

 (Atlas, Taf. xxvi.) ; as, however, there does not appear to 

 have been any of the minute acerate spiculation on the latter, 

 and after much search I have been able to find only one large 

 quadriradiate among the large triradiates, I have designated 

 it a variety of Leucaltis flcwidana, as the heading will show. 



For a calcareous sponge the great size of the largest speci- 

 men, viz. 7| in. long &c., may be considered very unusual. 

 Sometimes tlie surface presents a reticulation of more or less 

 broken ridges in high relief. 



41. Teichonella prolifera, Carter. 



Teichonella prolifera, Carter, Annals, 1878, vol. ii. p. 35, pi. ii. figs. 1-5, 



Finally we come to this species, which simply consists 

 of parenchymatous structure traversed by excretory canal- 

 systems whicli, beginning by small branches in the interior, 

 terminate respectively by open naked mouths at the surface ; 

 supported on a staple mass of small radiates, accompanied more 

 or less plentifully by very large ones, which, from their much 

 greater size, are rendered very conspicuous (see my illustrated 



