IH ]\Iiss J. Sto[ilieii.s o't new 



rii/. 7. .MiniiiUopDra hidentatct, Heuss, X 25. Sliowing- tbe priiiiarv 



zueciuiii and tbe six snrroiindiii^ zooecia. From Bocca di 



Sfiesa. . 

 Fl(l. 8. Coupscharelli)ia eoccena, Neviani, X 10. Secliou from 8pia,-si, 



N. Italy. 

 F.'(j. 0. Bcdopora multlrivliuta, IJss., X 25. Showing oviccll^. From 



Moniecfliio Mairgiore. 

 Fkj. 10. Ditto. X 10. .Sli :)\vino- the formation of a sfp on 1 ]a\er from 



the neighbourhood of tlu'. pit. Fr m V'al di l^onte. 

 Fi(/.\\. Mil im'liojmra biilenlatii, Heii-s, X 25. Showing ovicell. From 



P>ocni di Sciesa. (a) zoarinm. x 0. 

 luff. 12. Coll 'srharel linn eorwna, Neviaii, x 25. This figure is built up 

 from various parts, as the preservation as a whole is not 

 porfe.-t. Fiom Spias-i. 



VIII. — Tioo new African Freshwater Spouf/e-t. By Janiu 

 Stephens, B.A., B.Sc, National Museum of Irelajul. 



Several yeav.s a^o Dr. Annandale (5) drew attention to the 

 goiuewliat oyster-like shelKs of the genus yFllheria asaH'o ding 

 a favoural)le sta ting-place for the growth of fieshwater 

 s[)!)n;>;('S, not only on account of their roughened and often 

 corrugntsd surface, but also owing to the fact that, like true 

 oysters, tlieir lower valve is fiinily fixed to some solid support. 

 Dr. Annandale stated that at least one species of freshwater 

 sponge, Co7'vospongilla loricata (Weltner), had already been 

 described from an ^fJt/ieriq. sliell, when an examinatio'i of the 

 shells belonging to this genus in the collections of the Indian 

 ]\[useum led him to the discovery of two new species of 

 si)onges. He remarked that he had little doubt that other 

 sponges "Would be brought to light if the ^theria shells 

 preserved in nuisiiums were carefully scrutinized. Following 

 Dr. Annandale's suggestion, the uS^theria shells in the 

 collection of tins niustnun were examined, with the result 

 that two well-marked new species were discovered on one 

 shell, and a few broken gemmules, too fragmentary to identify, 

 on another. 



As is well known, the genus ^thriaoQCwr?. only in Africa 

 and in the north-west part of Madagascar, On the continent 

 of Africa it is confined to the tropics, except that it descends 

 the River Nile to the mouth. Many species have been 

 described from time to time, but the researches of Drs. An- 

 thony and Germain (6, p. 372) have shown that there is only 

 one species — a very polymorphic one, namely yEtheria elbp- 

 iica, Lamarck. Two varieties are, however, recognized by 

 these authors — yE. tllijjtica^ var. typica^ Germain, a smooth 



