338 Messrs. S. O. Eidley and A. Dendy on 



oscular projections (usually one only) at summit. Greyish 

 yellow. Soft and stringy. Spicules: — (1) slender acuate, 

 finely pointed, size 1"0 by '019 millim. ; (2) palmate inequi- 

 anchorates, with well-rounded palm, length '072 millim., 

 breadth of palm "034 millim. 



Locality. Station 147, east of Prince Edward's Island, 

 Southern Ocean, 1600 fath. 



Esperella lapidiformis^ n, sp. 



Massive, sessile, boulder-like (size 5^ by 3^ by 2| inches). 

 Soft but fibrous, minutely hispid. Vents numerous short 

 wide tubular processes, confined to the summit. Spicules : — 

 (1) acuate, tending to spinulate, rather sharp-pointed, size 

 "9 by "02 ; (2) large palmate inequianchorate, with three 

 strong teeth at each end, size '094 millim. long. 



Locality. Station 320, off Eio de la Plata, 600 fath. 



Esperella nmrrayi, u. sp. 



Massive, lobate, sessile, with narrowed base. Height 6^ 

 inches ; greatest breadth 4^ inches. Pale yellow. Hard and 

 dense. Surface smooth and even except for numerous mean- 

 dering cracks (pore-areas), which form a reticulation every- 

 where, except on the summits of the lobes. Vents grouped on 

 summits of lobes, about ^ inch in diameter. Pores in the 

 cracks of the surface, reducing the dermal membrane here to 

 a sieve. Dermal skeleton a dense felted layer of acuate 

 spicules. Spicules : — (1) acuate, slightly fusiform, size 

 •7 by '019 millim.; (2) large palmate inequianchorates, 

 length '072 millim., breadth of palm '019 millim. ; (3) bi- 

 liamates, often much contort, size '053 by '0024 millim. ; (4) 

 trichite bundles, size '076 by '013 millim. 



Locality. Ofi' Port Jackson, 30-35 fath. 



Esjjerella ^yorosa^ n. sp. 



Cylindrical, diameter about \ inch. Fibrous but rather 

 soft. Surface minutely hispid, but with a porous appearance, 

 due to the close reticulation of the dermal skeleton. Vents 

 few, small. Dermal skeleton a compact reticulation of dense 

 spiculo-fibre with meshes '3 millim. wide. Spicules : — (1) 

 spinulate, sharp-pointed, with small heads, size '38 by '016 

 millim. ; (2) palmate inequianchorates, length '05 millim., 

 with long narrowed palm at large end ; (3) large simple and 

 contort bihamates, size '16 by "OOSS millim. 



Locality. Off Port Jackson, 30-35 fath. 



