382. Mr. T. Higgin on a new Hexactinellid Sponge. 
observations made with the view of establishing them, and so 
very materially helping in the description, he suggested what 
appears to be the true solution of the difficulty. He accounts 
for the existence of the matted mass by finding that the sponge 
has been attacked by a Mucor-like fungus, which has been 
gradually destroying the sarcode and eating into the sponge- 
substance; and as the sarcode has disappeared, the spicules 
losing their natural support have fallen together into the 
matted mass, which in this state now covers over much of the 
upper portion of the sponge. Although the specimen is thus 
rendered imperfect so far as the entirety of the latticework 
goes, it is nevertheless highly interesting as showing the 
ravages of the parasitic fungoid growth, whose mycelium is 
found in great quantity not only on the surface, but gradually 
extending into the mass, and spreading everywhere its bright 
little sporules in extreme abundance. 
The sponge itself, again, is interesting on account of the 
glass rope being without its usual parasite, viz. the incrusting 
Polype (Pualythoa), which is still held by a few persons to be 
a part of the sponge (its “oscula’”’!), and by some to belong 
to the glass rope, on which they say the sponge is parasitic— 
in opposition to the more generally recerved impression, now 
confirmed by this specimen, that the glass rope is the stem or 
anchoring appendage of the sponge, upon which the Polype is 
parasitic. 
The twisted stem or glass rope is almost identical with 
that of Hyalonema Sieboldiz: the surface of the spicules com- 
posing it hardly differs except towards the lower part, where 
the difference 1s only sufficient to indicate a variety ; while 
the anchoring head or termination is of the same character— 
namely, mitre-shaped with four opposite arms. ‘The free ends, 
however, of these spicules in the Japanese specimens are 
generally broken off; but an example exists in the Liverpool 
Free Museum (no. 10. 9. 68. 1) in which many of the termi- 
nations remain; and Mr. Laurence Hardman, of Rock Ferry, 
also has a specimen, received last year through his son from 
the island of Inosima, in which the free ends are in a 
tolerably perfect condition. In the latter example these spicules 
terminate, as in /. cebuense, in four short, bluntly pointed, 
rounded arms, recurved and opposite, or at right angles to 
each other, the head and arms being about as broad as long, and 
measuring 1-170th of an inch. In the Liverpool-Free- 
Museum specimen, however, the terminations, although of the 
same character, present modifications of the four opposite 
arms: that is to say, sometimes four rather shorter arms appear 
between the four principal arms, making eight arms in all ; 
sometimes just above the four arms on the smooth shaft are 
