Mr. H. J. Carter on the Hexactinellidse. 369 



Mr. S. Kent, I can only state that microscopical observation 

 of portions of it shows that, although Askonema possesses small 

 sexradiate spicules, whose arms are covered with short spines, 

 it does not possess that with one arm spined feather-like, which 

 abounds in the Aphrocallistidce. &c. ; and thus, as will hereafter 

 appear, I have been able to distinguish the minute young sponge 

 of the former from the latter, which otherwise might have been 

 almost impossible, the rosette being of the same form in both. 



In Askonema the small sexradiate spicules with short-spined 

 arms (of which the vertical one on one side is often deficient) 

 and found together in groups recall to mind the same kind of 

 spicules (which form a rectangularly reticular network) on the 

 surface of Crateromorpha Meyeri 'and Rossella velata. Indeed, 

 so far as this goes, Askonema might be considered a sessile, 

 vase-like representative on the coast of Portugal of the cup- 

 like head of Crateromorpha found about the Philippines only. 

 While the latter is about 2f- inches high and 3£ inches broad, 

 the specimen of Askonema dredged up on board H.M.S. 'Por- 

 cupine' on the coast of Portugal, off Cape St. Vincent, was 2 feet 

 high and 3 feet broad at the top (' Depths of the Sea,' Wyville 

 Thomson, p. 428). In short, like most things in the west, if 

 the Hexactinellidge do not surpass in beauty, they do in size, 

 for the most part, those of the east. 



For the further description and illustration of A. setubalense, 

 I must refer the reader to Mr. Kent's description and figures 

 of this remarkable sponge in the ' Monthly Microscopical 

 Journal' (I. a), merely adding that the spicules represented in 

 his figures 10 and 11 do not belong to the sexradiate system, but 

 appear to me to have come from a species of Pachastrella, viz. 

 P. abyssi, Sdt. That this should be the case is not extraordi- 

 nary, seeing that the Pachastrellm are great wandereiss, and 

 seem to grow wherever they can find any thing to rest upon, 

 especially in the deep sea. I possess a portion of coral- detritus 

 from the island of Cuba, which has been burrowed through by 

 a Cliona, associated with which, in the burrow, is a Pachas- 

 trella possessing spicules, as my mounted specimen shows, 

 exactly like those of our British species Dercitus niger. Gray, = 

 Hymeniacidon Bucklandi, Bk. 



The long-stemmed goblet-like form of Crateromorpha Meyeri 

 would be sufficient in itself to distinguish this sponge from all 

 other species, had it not also the peculiarity of possessing a com- 

 plicated, tubuliferous, felt-like structure of the stem, sheathed 

 by a layer of shortish, robust, smooth, fusiform spicules, in 

 the central canal of which the "cross" may always be seen, 

 although there may be no corresponding inflation outside. The 

 cup, too, is covered by a rectangular lattice-like structure or 



