and Antarctic Sponges. 41 



1860, we learn that " between Greenland and Labrador, along 

 the belt traversed by the arctic current, and in a southerly 

 direction along the coast of Labrador, it [GJohigerina) is 

 either absent or occurs only in" very "limited quantity" 

 (' Deep-sea Researches on the Biology of Olobigerina^ p. 5: 

 Van Voorst, 1876) ; while the most northern sand in which I 

 have observed Coccoliths came from the Atlantic, between the 

 north of Scotland and the Faroe Islands, where they are very 

 abundant in the deep sea 5 but then, again, they, as well as 

 Coccospheres, are tolerably plentiful about the sponges that 

 grow on the rocks of this shore (Budleigh-Salterton). 



Dr. Wallich (?. c.) also states that he found Glohigermce 

 present in sea-bottom from " 50 to 3000 fths. ;" but while 

 Coccoliths are abundant on the sea-shore here, I have never 

 met with Glohigerince ; so that it may be questioned whether 

 their chief habitat does extend to such shallow water. Be this 

 as it may, the deep-sea bottom of the Atlantic is almost entirely 

 composed of Globigerinm and Coccoliths^ where the deciduous 

 ones are often agglomerated into tests for the so-called " Are- 

 naceous Foi'aminifera " and minute Annelids ; but in the sea- 

 bottom of Smith Sound, where there are neither, these tests are 

 as often made up of the minute frusiules of Diatomacese, like 

 those of some of the freshwater arenaceous Dijflugice. Also in 

 Smith Sound minute Afelosirce appear to be preferred, proba- 

 bly from their being most plentiful there ; while they are as 

 often found in the stomachs of the Polyzoa, but never a Cocco- 

 lith or a Globigerina^ so far as my observation has been ex- 

 tended. 



Lastly, I should mention that a small Alcyonium is attached 

 to the Balanus-&\\\i\\ (fig. 1,/"). It is globular, about \ inch in 

 diameter, and consists of a botryoidal group of melon-shaped 

 cells (fig. 4) of different sizes, according to their age, below 

 Y2 of an inch in diameter, the whole growing from a con- 

 tracted, corrugated base. The polyps are encased with the 

 usual spicular coat, which is extended into each tentacle, of 

 which there are eight ; so that this Alcyonium probably be- 

 longs to the verruciform species, NephtJiya of Savigny. Some 

 of the cells had their polyps exserted. 



In the mounted sand are also present the remains of many 

 other sponges, viz. the perfected flesh-spicule of Melonanchora 

 elliptica (Ann. 1874, vol. xiv. p. 212, pi. xiii. fig. 9), the 

 larger spicule of Corticium abyssi (ib. 1873, vol. xii. p. 18, 

 pi. i. figs. 3-5), also large bihamates [Jibulce)^ probably of 

 an Esperia, and many other spicules whose forms, although 

 different, do not characterize any sponge in particular. 



