226 Mr. H. J. Carter oji Deep-sea 



XX. — Descriptions and Figures of Deep~8ea Sponges and 

 their Spicules^ from the Atlantic Ocean ^dredged up on hoard 

 H.M.8. ^Porcupine^ chiefly in 1869 {concluded). By H. J. 

 Caeter, F.R.S. &c. 



[Plates XII.-XVI.] 



In July 1871 Prof, (now Sir) C. Wyville Thomson asked me 

 if I would undertake to describe the sponges dredged up on 

 board H.M.S. ' Porcupine ' in 1869, to which I consented, 

 when I had finished arranging the collections of sponges in 

 the British Museum about which I was then engaged. In 

 June 1872 Prof. Thomson sent me 108 jars containing these 

 sponges in spirit, besides some small boxes containing dried 

 specimens. Most of the former had labels on them; but the 

 latter were without any. Prof. Thomson was then busily en- 

 gaged in preparing for the expedition of H.M.S. ^Challenger;' 

 and all that he had time to state was that the jars were labelled 

 in accordance with the numbers of the stations and depths on 

 the Charts which accompanied the " Preliminary Report of 

 the Scientific Expedition of the Deep Sea in H.M.S. ' Porcu- 

 pine ' during the summer of 1869 " (Proceed. Poyal Soc. 

 no. 121), and that I might use them as I liked for the purpose 

 mentioned, only leaving them in " some kind of order " when 

 their descriptions had been completed. 



On their an*ival, I first numbered all the jars and dried spe- 

 cimens with a running number of my own, which they still 

 bear. Then every specimen, both fragmentary and entire, 

 was sketched and examined microscopically, and the sketch 

 and microscopic detail placed under these numbers respectively. 

 After this, whatever figures the labels on the jars bore were 

 added to their respective numbers. Thus, having secured a 

 memorandum of all that I possessed in this way in case of 

 accident, the whole was laid aside for deliberate examination 

 when the opportunity oflfered — that is, when I had finished 

 my examination and aiTangeraent of the collections of sponges 

 in the British Museum. 



Soon it became evident to me from the latter that I must 

 make a "classification" for myself; for nothing that had been 

 produced would suffice for this purpose ; and hence I was 

 obliged to postpone describing the greater part of the sponges 

 dredged up on board H.M.S. ' Porcupine ' until this was com- 

 pleted and printed ('Annals,' 1875, vol. xvi. p. 1 &c.). 



Meanwhile, in 1873, I published a paper on two Gumminece, 

 one of which came from the ' Porcupine ' ('Annals,' vol. xii. 

 p. 17) ; then a paper on the Hexactinellidse and Lithistidse, 

 in 1873, wherein the specimens of Aphrocallistes Bocagei, 



