﻿84 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  Dendy 
  on 
  Sponges 
  from 
  

  

  for 
  some 
  time 
  in 
  Canada 
  balsam, 
  when 
  they 
  appear 
  abun- 
  

   dantly. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  a 
  well-marked 
  species 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  characteristic 
  

   external 
  form 
  ; 
  there 
  are 
  five 
  dry 
  specimens 
  of 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  col- 
  

   lection, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  plentiful. 
  

  

  Iotrochota 
  baculifera, 
  Ridley, 
  \ar.Jlabellata, 
  Dendy 
  *. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  a 
  single 
  very 
  fine 
  dry 
  specimen 
  

   of 
  this 
  variety 
  and 
  two 
  small 
  pieces 
  preserved 
  in 
  spirit. 
  The 
  

   dry 
  specimen 
  is 
  shaped 
  like 
  the 
  leaf 
  of 
  a 
  Spanish 
  chestnut, 
  

   consisting 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  flattened 
  frond 
  which 
  has 
  grown 
  up 
  

   around 
  the 
  stem 
  of 
  some 
  plant 
  for 
  an 
  axis. 
  It 
  is 
  325 
  millim. 
  

   in 
  height 
  and 
  130 
  millim. 
  in 
  greatest 
  breadth 
  ; 
  the 
  thickness 
  

   is 
  variable, 
  up 
  to 
  about 
  10 
  millim. 
  along 
  the 
  margin, 
  but 
  

   much 
  more 
  in 
  the 
  centre. 
  On 
  either 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  flattened 
  

   frond 
  irregular 
  proliferations 
  are 
  given 
  off". 
  A 
  noteworthy 
  

   feature 
  of 
  this 
  specimen 
  is 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  grooves 
  on 
  both 
  

   surfaces 
  of 
  the 
  sponge 
  radiating 
  towards 
  the 
  margin 
  in 
  an 
  

   outward 
  and 
  upward 
  direction, 
  like 
  the 
  veins 
  of 
  a 
  Spanish- 
  

   chestnut 
  leaf. 
  Both 
  dry 
  and 
  spirit 
  specimens 
  contain 
  a 
  large 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  sand. 
  The 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  sponge 
  was 
  

   black, 
  when 
  dry 
  or 
  in 
  spirit 
  it 
  is 
  dark 
  purple. 
  The 
  texture 
  

   when 
  dry 
  is 
  very 
  fragile, 
  the 
  sponge 
  crumbling 
  up 
  between 
  

   the 
  fingers 
  like 
  a 
  Dysidea 
  ; 
  in 
  spirit, 
  however, 
  it 
  is 
  fairly 
  

   tough. 
  

  

  The 
  specimen 
  may 
  possibly 
  have 
  grown 
  erect 
  ; 
  but 
  from 
  

   the 
  difference 
  in 
  shade 
  of 
  colour 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  sides 
  and 
  

   from 
  the 
  somewhat 
  worn 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  lighter 
  one 
  I 
  am 
  

   inclined 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  was 
  lowermost 
  during 
  life. 
  

  

  The 
  oscula 
  are 
  rather 
  small 
  and 
  occur 
  chiefly 
  along 
  the 
  

   margin. 
  

  

  Clathria 
  indica, 
  n. 
  sp. 
  (PI. 
  IV. 
  fig. 
  10.) 
  

  

  Sponge 
  erect, 
  flabellate, 
  consisting 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  flat- 
  

   tened, 
  branching, 
  and 
  anastomosing 
  trabecular, 
  fused 
  together 
  

   so 
  as 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  continuous 
  frond 
  ; 
  sometimes 
  

   growing 
  out 
  into 
  free 
  digitate 
  processes. 
  Texture 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  

   state 
  coarse 
  and 
  hard, 
  fibrous 
  and 
  tough, 
  in 
  spirit 
  softer. 
  

   Colour 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  sponge 
  bright 
  red, 
  when 
  dry 
  or 
  in 
  spirit 
  

   yellowish 
  brown. 
  The 
  oscula 
  are 
  apparently 
  represented 
  by 
  

   very 
  numerous 
  minute 
  openings 
  thickly 
  strewn 
  over 
  both 
  

  

  * 
  For 
  references 
  fide 
  Dendv, 
  Ann. 
  & 
  Mag. 
  Nat. 
  Hist. 
  ser. 
  5, 
  vol. 
  xx. 
  

   p. 
  158. 
  

  

  