ISponges from South Australia. 313 



my observations on the "Circulation in the Spongida" (p. 120) 

 as affording an example of the opening of pores through the 

 subdermal cavities directly into a large branch of the excre- 

 tory canal- system, whereby the nutrient particles must be 

 subsequently deflected through smaller or collateral branches 

 to the ampullaceous sacs, and brought back by a similar set, 

 as the large vessel goes on uninterruptedly increasing in size 

 to its termination in the vent. 



Hirciniaflabellopalmata, n. sp. 



Specimens dry. Compressed, expanded, thin, stipitate, 

 flabelliform, palmate, irregularly and deeply denticulated 

 above, even at the sides, passing downwards into an elongated 

 round stem, which is terminated by a root-like expansion; 

 denticulations thin, wide and compressed like the body, variable 

 in shape and dimensions. Consistence hard now, being dry. 

 Colour whitish grey, from the abundance of foreign spicules 

 incrusting the dermis. Surface consisting of little, pointed, 

 short conuli closely approximated, sometimes united laterally 

 so as to form lines or a reticulation, supporting the dermis, 

 which is densely charged with foreign bodies, chiefly fragmen- 

 tary sponge-spicules of many kinds ; furrowed at the margins 

 on both body and denticulations, with smooth grooves branch- 

 ing inwards, indicating the presence of corresponding canals 

 in the wet state. Pores in the interstices between the conuli. 

 Vents scattered over the surface generally, sometimes arranged 

 linearly on one side of the margin of the denticulation in con- 

 nexion with the "grooves." Internal structure composed of 

 a reticulate mass of coarse sand-cored or axiated and simple 

 keratose fibre, ending towards the surface in points which 

 form the axes of the conuli respectively ; tympanized in the 

 interstices by thin, transparent, flimsy sarcode. Size : there 

 are two specimens of this species which are very much alike, 

 but one much smaller than the other. The largest is 14 in. 

 high (3 in. of which are stem), and 8 by ^ in. in its largest 

 horizontal dimensions. 



Hob. Marine. 



Loc. Port Phillip Heads, South Australia. Depth not 

 given. 



Obs. These specimens belong to Mr. Wilson's dry collec- 

 tion, which, although, carefully prepared, are, from having 

 undergone much contraction during desiccation, very different 

 from what they would have been in the spirit-preserved state, 

 of which there is none for comparison. 



