﻿92 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  Dendy 
  on 
  Sponges 
  from 
  

  

  beth 
  *, 
  South 
  Australia 
  t, 
  and 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Aus- 
  

   tralia 
  j. 
  

  

  Auletta 
  aurantiaca 
  7 
  n. 
  sp. 
  (PL 
  V. 
  fig. 
  13.) 
  

  

  Sponge 
  bushy, 
  composed 
  of 
  short, 
  branching 
  and 
  anasto- 
  

   mosing, 
  thick-walled 
  tubes, 
  frequently 
  united 
  laterally 
  so 
  as 
  

   to 
  form 
  lamella?, 
  like 
  pan-pipes. 
  Each 
  tube 
  is 
  open 
  at 
  the 
  

   top. 
  The 
  largest 
  specimen 
  is 
  95 
  millim. 
  high 
  and 
  105 
  millim. 
  

   in 
  diameter 
  ; 
  the 
  tubes 
  are 
  pretty 
  constant 
  in 
  diameter, 
  

   averaging 
  about 
  6 
  millim. 
  The 
  surface 
  is 
  minutely 
  hispid 
  

   both 
  when 
  dry 
  and 
  in 
  spirit. 
  The 
  texture 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  state 
  

   is 
  hard 
  and 
  firm, 
  in 
  spirit 
  softer. 
  The 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  

   sponge 
  was 
  bright 
  orange 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  state 
  it 
  varies 
  from 
  pale 
  

   yellow 
  to 
  bright 
  orange, 
  in 
  spirit 
  it 
  is 
  greyish 
  yellow. 
  

  

  The 
  skeleton 
  is 
  very 
  loose 
  and 
  irregular, 
  consisting 
  of 
  

   stylote 
  and 
  oxeote 
  spicules 
  arranged 
  partly 
  in 
  loose 
  irregular 
  

   wisps, 
  which 
  run 
  upwards 
  and 
  outwards 
  and 
  terminate 
  in 
  

   projecting 
  brushes 
  at 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  sponge. 
  These 
  

   represent 
  the 
  primary 
  lines 
  of 
  the 
  skeleton 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  some- 
  

   times 
  crossed 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  by 
  individual 
  

   spicules 
  or 
  by 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  together, 
  which 
  represent 
  the 
  

   secondary 
  lines. 
  The 
  whole 
  skeleton 
  is, 
  however, 
  very 
  con- 
  

   fused, 
  and 
  spicules 
  occur 
  abundantly 
  scattered 
  through 
  the 
  

   choanosome 
  which 
  cannot 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  either 
  primary 
  or 
  

   secondary 
  skeleton 
  lines. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  fair 
  amount 
  of 
  spongin 
  

   present. 
  

  

  Spicules. 
  — 
  These 
  are 
  of 
  two 
  kinds 
  : 
  — 
  (1) 
  More 
  or 
  less 
  

   curved 
  oxea 
  (fig. 
  13, 
  c, 
  e), 
  gradually 
  sharp-pointed 
  at 
  each 
  

   end, 
  measuring 
  about 
  0"28 
  by 
  O01 
  1 
  millim., 
  not 
  nearly 
  so 
  

   abundant 
  as 
  the 
  following. 
  (2) 
  Long, 
  slender, 
  very 
  gradu- 
  

   ally 
  sharp-pointed 
  styli 
  (fig. 
  13, 
  a, 
  b 
  } 
  d) 
  } 
  generally 
  more 
  or 
  

   less 
  curved 
  or 
  bent. 
  As 
  usual 
  in 
  the 
  Axinellidai 
  these 
  spi- 
  

   cules 
  vary 
  greatly 
  both 
  ' 
  in 
  actual 
  size 
  and 
  in 
  proportion 
  of 
  

   length 
  to 
  thickness; 
  they 
  are 
  usually 
  somewhat 
  larger 
  than 
  

   the 
  oxea, 
  but 
  sometimes 
  extremely 
  long 
  and 
  slender, 
  mea- 
  

   suring 
  up 
  to 
  about 
  08 
  millim. 
  in 
  length. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  four 
  specimens 
  of 
  this 
  very 
  pretty 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  

   collection 
  and 
  also 
  a 
  piece 
  in 
  spirit. 
  

  

  The 
  genus 
  AuJetta 
  was 
  founded 
  by 
  Schmidt 
  § 
  for 
  his 
  

  

  * 
  Bowerbank, 
  he. 
  cit. 
  

  

  t 
  Carter, 
  Ann. 
  & 
  Mag. 
  Nat. 
  Hist. 
  ser. 
  5, 
  vol. 
  xvi. 
  p. 
  366. 
  

  

  \ 
  Lendenfeld 
  collection 
  in 
  British 
  Museum. 
  

  

  § 
  ' 
  Grundziige 
  einer 
  Spongien-Fauna 
  des 
  atlantischen 
  Gebietes,' 
  p. 
  45. 
  

  

  