312 Mr. H. J. Carter’s Contributions to our 
greatest dimensions; spicules forming the core of the fibre 
and echinating its surface in groups respectively, whereby the 
free surfaces are all hispid. Size of specimen 21 x 13 inches 
square in its greatest dimensions by about 3 inch thick ; stem 
well defined, peduncular, short, about 14 inch in diameter 
generally. 
Hab, Marine. 
Loc. West Indies. 
Obs, This sponge has the appearance of a large piece of 
tanned cow-hide, and thus it may be easily recognized. The 
other characters, mutatis mutandis, are like those of Hetyon 
sparsus, and the spicule in its largest size, although a little 
thinner, is not inferior to that of H. sparsus in point of beauty. 
The specimen is in the British Museum, and bears my running 
number “ 367.” 
I am indebted to my kind friend Mr. Thos. H. Higgin, 
F.L.S., of Liverpool, for the illustration of this species (PI. 
XI. fig. 1), which has been photographed from a much larger 
although similar specimen of the same species in the Liver- 
pool Free Museum. It is 83 inches broad, 21 inches high, 
and averages (being irregular over both surfaces) about an 
inch in thickness; hence the real size is six times that of 
the illustration. It is registered “ no. 4. 8. 81. 14,” and was 
obtained from Barbadoes. 
The cribriform grouping of the ‘ small holes ”’ on the sur- 
face over the subcavernous clathrous structure, which may be 
easily seen in the illustration of this and that of Hetyon spar- 
sus, var. claveformis (Pl. XII. fig. 2, c), another specimen in 
the Liverpool Free Museum that will be mentioned presently, 
as well as in the original species, viz. Lctyon sparsus, which L 
described and illustrated in 1871 (‘ Annals,’ @. c. pl. xvii. 
fig. 2), is also characteristic of the surface of the great Sub- 
erite from Belize, viz. Spongia Dysoni (‘ Annals,’ 1882, 
vol. ix. p. 8350). The photograph (Pl. XI.) represents the 
side on which the ‘ small holes ”’ exist. 
6c 
General Observations on the Ectyones. 
The specimen in the British Museum for which I have 
adopted the name “Actyon sparsus”’ is solid, thick, flat, and ex- 
panded ; but among others still larger, especially that registered 
42. 12. 21. 40, there is one which consists of a group of eight 
thick erect hollow cylinders, mounted ona stand of “plaster of 
Paris,” and numbered ‘ 548.” Altogether the group is about 
12x 8 inches horizontally, of which the largest cylinder is 
10 inches high, 384 inches thick, and 14 inch across at the 
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