Sponges from South Australia. 213 



tracted towards the base. Consistence tender, friable, coarse, 

 gritty. Colour dark brown. Surface consisting of the edges 

 of the lamina?, often passing into a honeycomb form by trans- 

 verse interunitmg processes. Pores indistinct, on the surface 

 of the laminae. Vents also small, on their margins. Struc- 

 ture columnar, radiating, laminar ; laminae thin, undulating, 

 closely applied to each other, like the leaves of a book, or 

 thicker, further apart, and interunited by transverse processes, 

 producing the honeycomb-like structure. Size variable. 



Hob. Marine. 



hoc. Port Phillip Heads. Depth 20 fath. and under. 



Obs. The globular, elongated, or hemispherical structure 

 radiating laminiferously or in the form of a honeycomb, 

 together with the dark brown colour, characterizes this 

 species, to which may be added another variety, where the 

 laminae are grouped irregularly, irregular on the surface, and 

 irregularly notched or denticulated on the margin : also another 

 form in which the lamina is branched digitato-chalina-like. 



4. Holopsamma futiginosa, n. sp. 



Form of specimen massive, sessile, contracted at the base, 

 consisting of erect compressed lobes about § in. thick, with 

 irregular margins, more or less united together centrally or 

 proceeding from each other proliferously. Consistence hard, 

 coral- like. Colour dark neutral tint outside, lighter within. 

 Surface smooth, irregularly papillated. Vents and pores 

 not seen, probably closed by desiccation. Structure very 

 compact ; texture small-grained. Size of largest specimen, 

 for there are two, 8 in. high by 6 X 5 in. horizontally. 



Hah. Marine. 



Loc. Port Phillip Heads, South Australia. Depth ? 



Obs. Examined in the dry state only, as there is no spirit- 

 preserved specimen. The remarkably stony, hard, coral-like 

 form and appearance of this species, together with the black 

 colour, renders it almost unmistakable ; and, although there 

 are no vents to be seen on the surface, the internal structure is 

 plentifully traversed by the branches of the excretory canal- 

 system. 



5. Holopsamma turbo, n. sp. 



Turbinate, like a peg-top, solid ; presenting a circular de- 

 pression in the centre of the summit, passing into a round 

 attenuated stem below, which terminates in a root-like expan- 

 sion. Consistence soft, resilient. Colour, when fresh, 

 " terra-cotta red, with a coating of grey," now grey outside 



