249 



to the bottom of the vase and furnished at the base with very large 

 irregularly shaped oscules, which become smaller, more regulär and 

 oblong-Ianceolate about the middle of the walls and circular in the 

 Upper part, gradually diminishing in size as thcy approach the mar- 

 gin of the cavity, where they are smallest. Stem thick, cylindrical 

 with numerous parallel similar longitudinal cylindrical tubulär Spa- 

 ces in a feit of spicules ; covered externally with a layer of short 

 robust ones arranged longitudinally, and on this again the minute 

 network with square meshes, like that on the club, finally ending 

 below in a multitude of spiculiferous filaments extending some way 

 into the mass of sandy mud at its base. 



Gen. n. Meyerina Gr. Sponge simple, elongate, clavate, acute 

 at the apex, at which are placed several tufts of short cylindrical 

 fibres. The body of the sponge is elongate-fusiform, with longitu- 

 dinal ridges irregularly disposed, often inosculating together, leaving 

 various- shaped deep concavities on the surface. These ridges and 

 the very numerous irregularly shaped often confluent elevations in 

 the concavities between them are furnished with various -shaped 

 large oscules on the upper surface. The sides of the ridges and 

 the tops of the prominences are all united by a very fine cobweb- 

 like netted coat, formed of numerous fibres and pierced with an 

 immense number of very minute exceedingly close perforations. The 

 sem cylindrical, thick, ending in a thick cylindrical tuft ofelongated 

 glassy fibres, evidently anchoring the sponge in the sand; numerous 

 cylindrical buuches of fibre are to be seen through the substance of 

 the sponge extending through out the greater part of the length 

 of the stem. 



Ein dritter gleichfalls von Meyer bei Cabii gesam- 

 melter Schwamm erwies sich (ibid. p. 137) als eine neue 

 Art des Gen. Rossella {B. philippinensis Gr.)- Derselbe 

 zeigte einige Aehnlichkeit mit dem Kopfe einer kleinen 

 Crateromorpha, trug statt eines Stieles aber blosse Wurzel- 

 nadeln und besass auch die sonst nirgends weiter vor- 

 kommenden Nadeln mit vier hakenförmig gekrümmten 

 Armen. 



Eine ausführliche Beschreibung sowohl der Rossella 

 philippinensis, wie auch der R. antarctica und der in- 

 zwischen von Wy will e Thomson (the depths of the sea 

 p. 418) im Atlantischen Oceane aufgefundenen R. velata 

 liefert dann später Carter Ann. and Mag. nat. bist. Vol. 

 XV. p. 113-122 PI. X. (on the genus Rossella, with the 

 descriptions of three species). 



