310 Mr. H. J. Carter on 



colourless foreign objects with which the specimen is in- 

 crusted. Surface even or indistinctly granulated, consisting 

 of the incrustation just mentioned. Pores abundant between 

 the granules, irregularly grouped. Vents small, scattered 

 over the surface, chiefly on one side of the stems. Internal 

 structure radiating from the axis 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-systems. Size of specimens about 7 in. long by 3 x ^ 

 in., being very much compressed, and all the branches on the 

 same level. 



Hab. Marine. 



Loc. Port Phillip Heads, South Australia. Depth 6 fath. 



Obs. The chief characters of this species are its " frosted " 

 whiteness, arising from a thick incrustation of foreign objects, 

 which appears exclusively to consist of hyaline grains of 

 quartz, its digito-chaliniform stems, and one-sided growth. 



Dactylia pahnata, n. sp. 



Specimen stipitate, palmate, digitate, consisting of a bunch 

 of compressed, solid branches proceeding from a short thick 

 stem, becoming dichotomously divided into digito-chaliniform 

 processes. Consistence resilient. Colour, when fresh, " dull 

 reddish orange," now grey. Surface even, slightly arena- 

 ceous. Pores plentifully scattered over the surface generally. 

 Vents also scattered over the expanded portions, more in 

 line along the cylindrical branches ; main fibre sand-cored, 

 lateral fibre clear. Size of specimen 9 in. high by 6x2 

 horizontally ; hence the whole form is rather compressed. 



Hab. Marine. 



Loc. Port Phillip Heads, South Australia. Depth 16 fath. 



Obs. This appears to be only a more flattened, i. e. palmate, 

 variety of Dactylia clialiniformis. 



Fam. Hircinida. 



Char. Psammonematous sponges which are conulated on 

 the surface. Otherwise the same as in the family Lio- 

 chrotida. 



Hircinia soli 'da , n. sp. 



Specimen long, thick, erect, compressed, tongue-shaped, 

 sessile; margin obtuse, free end pointed, fixed end spreading 

 or more or less contracted. Consistence, when wet, soft, 



