390 Mr. H. J. Carter on Deep-sea 



accompanied by the stem of another, from which the head 

 has been broken off. The Label on the jar is " 78," which gives 

 the locality and depth above mentioned. It appears to belong 

 to Schmidt's genus "Cometella^^ ('Atlantisch. Spongienf.' 

 1870, p. 49), and mider other circumstances might grow erect 

 and have a longer stem, as the headless one (fig. 20, c) seems 

 to point out. The spicules indicate an alliance with those of 

 the group Halichondrina, while the compactness of the tissue 

 is like that of the Suberite Halichondria suberea, &c. In the 

 jar with it are specimens of Halichondria carnosa. Polymastia^ 

 Hymeraphia verticillata^ Phakellia ventilabrum, and Tethya 

 cranium, =Donatia J Gray. 



Hymeraphia microcionides^ n. sp. (Not illustrated.) 



General aspect laminiform, extremely thin, following hori- 

 zontally the form of the surface on which it may be growing. 

 Colour now light yellow. Surface hirsute from the projection 

 of long smooth spicules. Pores and vents indistinct. Inter- 

 nal structure consisting of a layer of spined spicules coniusedly 

 arranged, out of which spring vertically others which give the 

 hirsute character just mentioned. Spicules of two kinds, viz. 

 skeleton- and flesh-spicules. Skeleton-spicule of three forms, 

 viz.: — 1, large, long, acuate, smooth, nearly straight, atte- 

 nuatingly pointed, increasing in size gradually from the large 

 or fixed to the small or free end, 100- by 1^-1 800th inch ; 

 2, subskeleton, much smaller than the foregoing, acuate, short- 

 splned, attenuatlngly pointed, slightly curved towards the fixed 

 end, which is a little smaller than that of the shaft that follows 

 it, 16- by l-1800th Inch ; 3, subskeleton, cylindrical, circularly 

 curved (that is rainbow- like) , spined throughout, especially at 

 the ends, which are obtuse and round, 10- by |-1 800th Inch. 

 Flesh-splcule of one form only, viz. equianchorate, small, 

 navicular in form, rather bent in the shaft, 6-6000ths inch 

 long. The curved, cylindrical, spined spicule forms a dense 

 layer in which the two acuates are fixed vertically by their 

 large ends, the spined acuate only just appearing above the 

 surface, while the large smooth one is 1-1 2th inch long, and 

 the flesh-splcule, or anchorate, scattered irregularly throughout 

 the lamina. Size of specimen about | Inch in diameter, and 

 l-96th inch thick, exclusive of the long spicules. 



Hah. Marine, on hard objects. 



Loc. Station 25, in 374 fathoms, near Cape St. Vincent, 

 growing over a piece of Pachastrella ahyssi. 



Ohs. Tliere is nothing peculiar in this sponge beyond its 

 resemblance to Microciona in its growth, form, and spicules. 



