Grayella, Osculina, and Cliona. 75 



to think that the fimbriated papillae of Osculina were the in- 

 halant, and the less ornamented curticonical ones, Avith large 

 single apertures respectively, the excretory organs. So, " at 

 first sight of the plate," as above stated, Orayella and Oscu- 

 lina appeared to me to be very closely allied. 



Let us now see how far the study of Cliona in a living state 

 assists us through these difficulties. 



On the 6th December, 1869, after a storm, I picked up on 

 the beach at this place (Budleigh-Salterton, Devon) a speci- 

 men of Laininaria, in the inner and vaulted portion of whose 

 conical bunch of roots was fixed a small oyster-shell permeated 

 by a species of Cliona^ which subsequent examination proved 

 to be that so faithfully described and figured by Mr. Albany 

 Hancock as Cliona northumhrica^ in the ' Annals,' ser. 3. 

 vol. xix. p. 237, pi. 7. fig. 1, April 1867. 



The shell in which the specimen was situated, having been 

 released from the roots of the seaweed, was immediately placed 

 in sea-water (renewed daily) and examined for eight days 

 successively. It was about two inches in diameter, and origi- 

 nally fixed obliquely upwards among the roots of the Lami- 

 naria, some small ones of which were attached to its outer or 

 convex side, while the inner or concave part of the shell was 

 free from all root-attachment and faced the hollow part of the 

 coniform foot-bunch. No doubt the Laminaria had been 

 attached by its other roots to a rock but trusting too much to 

 the surface of the otherwise unfixed oyster-shell led to its 

 being torn from its site by tlie waves, and thus thrown upon 

 the shore where I found it. 



There Avere twelve papillae of different sizes scattered over 

 the convex part of the shell, among the attachments of 

 the roots of the Laminaria (which were all cut off short for 

 better observation), and the same number on the concave sur- 

 face or that directed towards the hollow cone of the root- 

 bunch. Six of the latter were papilliform vents presenting 

 respectively a more or less elongated conical form, truncated 

 at the extremity and provided with a single large circular 

 aperture, circumscribed, when fully extended, by a delicate 

 thin margin. The rest of the papilla} on both sides were 

 more or less expanded, or obversely conical, presenting a fim- 

 briated surface radiating more or less from the centre, in which 

 were irregularly scattered a few small circular orifices varying 

 and less than 1 -600th of an inch in diameter. 



The fimbriated surface consisted of feather-like extensions 

 based on groups or bundles of pin-like spicules pointed out- 

 wardly, which, issuing with the soft sponge-substance of the 

 papilla, were thrown apart as the sarcode raised itself upwards 



6* 



