460 Mr. H. J. Carter 07i 



the dredge). Consistence compact. Colour red-purple. 

 Surface smooth, but very uneven. Pores punctate, general. 

 Vents few, large and scattered. Structure compact, covered 

 with a cortex about l-48th in. thick ; bodj-substance of the 

 usual kind in these sponges, viz. subcompact, largely traversed 

 by the canals of the excretory system. Spicules of two kinds, 

 viz. skeletal and flesh-spicules : — 1, skeletal, acerate of 

 two sizes, viz. very small and very large, the former confined 

 to the cortex and the latter to the body-substance ; 2, flesh- 

 spicule, a minute stellate about 1^- 6000th in. in diameter. 

 Pigmental cellula? containing the purple colouring-matter 

 confined to the epithelial cells of the surface and the excretory 

 canals or extravasated into the tissue generally. Size of 

 specimen about 1^ in. high by 1^ in. horizontally. 



Loc. Port Western. 



Ohs. This only appears to diifer from the preceding species 

 in presenting a red-purple colour instead of a bright golden 

 yellow. 



Tethya stipitata (dry) . 



Fig-shaped^ stipitate, rugosely corrugated over the head, 

 smooth over the stem, which is cylindrical and rather twisted, 

 expanding into the head above and into a root-like mass 

 below, which is charged with coarse sand. Consistence firm. 

 Colour reddish purple above, becoming less so towards the 

 stem, which is colourless. Surface rugosely corrugated over 

 the head in lines running upwards from the smooth stem, 

 covered with an epithelial layer of small granuliferous cells in 

 which the granules on the exposed part (that is on the head) 

 become more intensely coloured as the summit is approached. 

 Pores not seen. Vents in plurality, the chief and largest 

 single, on the summit. Structure internally pale yellow in 

 colour, consisting of the usual bundles of long spicules radia- 

 ting from the centre, held together by sarcode and traversed 

 by cavernous excretory canals which open at the vents men- 

 tioned. Spicules of two kinds, viz. skeletal and flesh-spicules. 

 1. Skeletal, as usual, very long and slender, of two forms — one 

 pointed at each end and the other provided with a trifid ter- 

 mination consisting of three more or less short, stout, and ex- 

 panded arms ; both forms variable in length according to their 

 position. 2. Flesh-spicules also of two forms, viz. one minute, 

 the usual C- and S-shaped bihamate, about 4-6000ths in. long, 

 and the other much larger, whose form varies from a slight 

 curve to a parabola, cylindrical, microspined, and obtuse at 

 the ends, which are more or less separated according to the 

 amount of curvature, t. e. 9 to 13-6000ths in. apart, with a 



