﻿96 
  Mr, 
  A. 
  Dendy 
  on 
  Sponges 
  from 
  

  

  which 
  have 
  " 
  small, 
  spherical, 
  ciliated 
  chambers 
  and 
  opaque 
  

   ground-substance," 
  and 
  therefore 
  it 
  differs 
  greatly 
  from 
  Spon- 
  

   gionelta 
  nigra 
  ; 
  but 
  whether 
  Dr. 
  Bowerbank's 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  

   Spongionella 
  agree 
  in 
  these 
  respects 
  with 
  Gacospongia 
  or 
  

   with 
  Spongionella 
  nigra 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  undeterminable. 
  As 
  I 
  

   cannot 
  place 
  my 
  species 
  under 
  Cacospongia, 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  better 
  

   to 
  retain 
  Dr. 
  Bowerbank's 
  Spongionella 
  with 
  emended 
  diag- 
  

   nosis 
  in 
  preference 
  to 
  creating 
  a 
  new 
  genus. 
  

  

  Hircinia 
  clathrata, 
  Carter 
  *. 
  

  

  This 
  common 
  Ceylon 
  species 
  is 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  collec- 
  

   tion 
  by 
  two 
  good 
  specimens 
  ; 
  unfortunately, 
  however, 
  there 
  is 
  

   no 
  piece 
  in 
  spirit. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  specimens 
  is 
  remarkable 
  on 
  

   account 
  of 
  its 
  large 
  size 
  and 
  luxuriant 
  growth 
  ; 
  it 
  measures 
  

   280 
  millim. 
  in 
  height 
  and 
  250 
  millim. 
  in 
  greatest 
  breadth. 
  

   The 
  other 
  specimen, 
  although 
  smaller, 
  is 
  of 
  great 
  value 
  in 
  that 
  

   it 
  exhibits 
  certain 
  features 
  not 
  hitherto 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  species. 
  

   The 
  specimen 
  has 
  been 
  dried 
  with 
  the 
  soft 
  tissues 
  on, 
  and 
  

   instead 
  of 
  being 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  dull 
  yellow 
  colour, 
  it 
  has 
  a 
  dis- 
  

   tinctly 
  purple 
  tinge. 
  In 
  his 
  original 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  

   Mr. 
  Carter 
  suggested 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  sarcode 
  ot 
  II. 
  clathrata 
  may 
  

   have 
  been 
  so 
  coloured," 
  but 
  he 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  it 
  

   was 
  so 
  from 
  the 
  material 
  at 
  his 
  disposal 
  f. 
  The 
  particular 
  

   specimen 
  referred 
  to 
  also 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  wide 
  irregular 
  

   openings 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  sponge, 
  which 
  lead 
  into 
  the 
  

   central 
  cavity 
  of 
  the 
  tubular 
  branches, 
  are 
  normally 
  tym- 
  

   panized 
  by 
  a 
  delicate 
  translucent 
  membrane, 
  pierced 
  in 
  places 
  

   by 
  rounded 
  apertures 
  resembling 
  oscula. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  geographical 
  distribution 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  the 
  reader 
  

   is 
  referred 
  to 
  my 
  previous 
  paper 
  \. 
  I 
  may 
  add 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  

   in 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  a 
  specimen 
  § 
  of 
  a 
  

   slight 
  variety 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  from 
  North-western 
  Australia. 
  

   This 
  Australian 
  variety 
  differs 
  from 
  the 
  Manaar 
  specimens 
  

   chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  larger 
  quantity 
  of 
  foreign 
  matter 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  

   primary 
  fibres. 
  

  

  Hircinia 
  (?) 
  sp. 
  

   There 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  some 
  pieces 
  of 
  a 
  sponge 
  which 
  

  

  * 
  For 
  references 
  vide 
  Dendy, 
  Ann. 
  & 
  Mag. 
  Nat. 
  Hist. 
  ser. 
  5, 
  vol. 
  xx. 
  

   p. 
  163. 
  

  

  t 
  There 
  is, 
  however, 
  a 
  small 
  specimen 
  of 
  Hircinia 
  clathrata 
  attached 
  

   to 
  the 
  same 
  stone 
  as 
  the 
  specimen 
  of 
  Siphonochalina 
  covimunis, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  

   Thurston 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  this 
  small 
  specimen 
  in 
  life 
  was 
  reddish 
  

   hrown. 
  

  

  % 
  Loc. 
  cit. 
  § 
  Registered 
  83. 
  2. 
  22. 
  19. 
  

  

  