Sponges from South Australia. 309 



situ" for the development of the ovum in the Psammonema- 

 tous sponges beyond the ciliated stage — in which I observe 

 the same kind of yelk-cells (see Schulze, Zeitschrift f. wiss. 

 Zool. Bd. xxxii. Taf. xxxviii. figs. 2-4, 1879, for compa- 

 rison) — has not been published, if indeed followed. 



Here I might notice that similar kinds of ova exist in a 

 specimen of Hircinia'? in the same collection, wherein all the 

 other soft parts have been transformed into the filaments of 

 Spongiophaga communis, thus apparently indicating a protec- 

 tive power much greater than that of the sarcode, as I shall 

 more particularly notice hereafter. 



Dactylia ckaliniformis, n. sp. 



Caulescent, solid, digitiform branches, rising from a single 

 stem ; branches thick, irregularly cylindrical, more or less 

 dichotomously divided, slightly enlarged, fig-like towards the 

 ends. Consistence resilient. Colour, when fresh, " dark 

 brown, buff at the tips." Surface even, minutely reticulated 

 in low relief, with points passing into high relief at the extre- 

 mities of the branches. Pores abundant, situated in the 

 interstices of the dermal reticulation. Vents numerous, pustu- 

 Iiform, scattered unequally over the surface. Internal struc- 

 ture radiating obliquely upwards and outwards ; main fibre 

 sand-cored, interunited by clear but smaller fibre, all amber- 

 coloured ; supporting the sarcodic elements of the parenchyma ; 

 traversed by the branches of the excretory canal-system. 

 Size of specimen 8 in. high, and the whole bunch 6 in. in 

 diameter at its widest part ; branches rather compressed 

 about 1 in. in diameter at their largest or swollen part. 



Hab. Marine. 



Loc. Port Phillip Heads, South Australia. Depth 19 fath. 



Ohs. This is a distinctly digito-chalina-like sponge, simu- 

 lating a Ghalina in form as well as in structure as much as 

 the material would allow, being otherwise skeletally Psam- 

 monematous. It is thus another instance of the same form 

 being produced with totally different, elements ; pointing out 

 the uniformity of plan in this part of the development of the 

 Spongida. 



Dactylia impar, n. sp. 



Specimen caulescent, stems solid, cylindrical, branching off 

 successively from one side of the largest and longest, which 

 extends to the end of the specimen, like the barbs on one 

 side of a feather ; short and interunited pan-pipe-like below 

 becoming separated and more or less bifurcated upwards. 

 Consistence firm. Colour white, from the abundance of 



Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 5. Vol. xv. 22 



