62 On the South-Russian Spongillidse. 



globular ; aperture infundibular 5 crust, which is thick and 

 composed of granular cell-substance, charged with birotulate 

 spicules consisting of a long, straight, sparsely spiniferous 

 shaft whose spines are large, irregular in length, conical and 

 perpendicular, terminated at each end by an umbonate disk of 

 equal size, deeply but regularly denticulated, whose processes 

 are claw^-like and turned inwards, arranged perpendicularly, 

 with one disk resting on the chitinous coat and the other form- 

 ing part of the surface of the statoblast. 



" Locality. New York. In a stream on the Canterbury 

 Road, West Point." 



Dosilia Stepanowii^ n. sp. 



Surrounding ; surface smooth. 



Skeleton-spicules long, pointed, and covered with small, 

 acute, but scantily distributed spines. 



Parenchyma-spicules small, pointed, and covered with 

 spines. Spines in the middle section long, obtuse, and per- 

 pendicular ; at the two ends small, acute, hook-like ; towards 

 the middle small, acute, perpendicular. Amphidisci spindle- 

 shaped, their shaft long and furnished with a few large per- 

 pendicular spines. 



The two terminal disks are toothed at the margins. The 

 teeth have a perpendicular position. 



Locality. Lake Wielikoje. 



In conclusion, it may be mentioned that I found in the 

 parenchyma of the Spongillidaj just investigated by me some 

 siliceous corpuscles, which it seems to me may be small paren- 

 chyma, or coating spicules of still unknow^n Spongillidse. 

 From this I conclude that other unknown Spongillidte must 

 certainly occur in the waters of the Government of Charkow 

 and of South E-ussia generally. 



Would it not be advisable on the part of the University of 

 Charkow to make a prize-problem of the investigation of the 

 South-liussian Spongillidge ? It would be a very grateful 

 theme for a pupil of that University, the solution of which 

 might advance the knowledge of a group of animals which is 

 still but little known not only in Russia but also in the rest of 

 Europe. 



Further, I may call attention to the fact that very numerous 

 Diatoms and Algee are present in the parenchyma of the 

 Spongillid^, so that these j)lants, otherwise so difficult to 

 discover, are to be sought in the interior of these sponges. 



Postscript. — The Spongilla from Lake Hertha (in the 

 island of Kiigen), kindly communicated to me by Dr. Braun 

 of Dorpat, pi-oves, from my investigation of it, to be a Spon- 



