514 Mr. H. J. Carter on 



surface. In form tliis specimen is more globular, being about 

 4 inches high by | in diameter, but consisting of two indi- 

 viduals joined together, has two large subcircular vents, each 

 about an inch in diameter, leading to two cloaca below of 

 much larger dimensions ; while the specimen with crateriform 

 vents, each of which is an inch in diameter, leading into cloacaj 

 a little deeper, consists of a group of several such individuals 

 joined together and sessile generally. 



Ohs. This is by far the largest and most abundant in 

 specimens of all Mr. Wilson's calcareous sponges, and it is 

 somewhat remarkable that, like the floating Auloplegma-form 

 of Clatlirina tripodifera^ it should be abundantly charged 

 with reproductive bodies. But for the asconoid or tubular 

 structure of this species, the amount of parenchyma is so 

 great that it closely resembles Hiickel's Leucaltis Jloridana 

 in this respect {op. cit. Taf. xxvi.) ; and in some specimens 

 the canals and spaces in the parenchymatous structure are so 

 thickly echinated by the fourth ray of the quadriradiates that, 

 on the other hand, they look like the echinated tubes of Clatlirina 

 tripodifera^ while here, as in the latter, they are easily distin- 

 guished, especially in the sections of the dried portions, by 

 their yellow side, owing to the presence of the dried sarcode 

 and its contents lining in particular this part, while that of 

 the *' hollow spaces " is smooth and more or less white. Are 

 the " hollow spaces " here analogous to the " intervals " in 

 Clatlirina tri^wdifera, which in the latter have been shown to 

 be identical with Hiickel's " intercanal system ; " while here 

 they are apparently as evidently analogous to the " radial 

 chambers " of Grantia ciliata &c., through which they may 

 be homologized with the excretory canal-system in Teiclio- 

 nella proliferal I must leave others to make the adjust- 

 ment. 



In some of the specimens which are altogether solid the 

 small infundibular vents on the surface are supplemented by 

 several larger ones, which, not leading to a single large 

 cloaca, are in this respect like those of Clatlirina primordialis^ 

 that is, connected with several dilated portions in the midst 

 of the structure internally, which in the aggregate amount 

 to a large single cloaca ; but they differ from those in Clatli- 

 rina primordialis in being all provided with a ^«}j. 



The large " free and floating " specimen of this species is 

 plentifully charged with ova about l-333rd in. in diameter, 

 from which the germinal vesicle has in most instances disap- 

 peared, and in some of which the first line of segmentation 

 seems to be visible- But the body to which I have just 

 alluded as being scanty in Clatlirina primordialis is here as 



