414 COLLECTIONS FROM MELANESIA. 



into the sponge, agrees fairly with this species. Sponge 30 millim. 

 long, 20 millim. high, 10 millim. in greatest thickness. The 

 main-skeleton lines are somewhat more abundantly spicular. 



Hub. The first specimen, Port Curtis, Queensland, 11 fms. ; the 

 latter specimen, Port Darwin. 



49. Pellina eusiphonia. (Plate XLI. fig. x.) 



Massive, sessile, horizontal in growth. Surface even, smooth. 

 Yents formed by prominent thin- walled tubes, 3 to 4 millim. in 

 diameter, ranging in length up to 12 millim., numerous, aggregated 

 on upper surface of sponge, anastomosing with each other ; thickness 

 of wall about - 2 millim. Texture in spirit — basal portion firm, rather 

 brittle ; of vents soft, very yielding ; colour in spirit dull pinkish 

 brown. Main skeleton — no visible horny matter, spicules loosely 

 aggregated in fibres ; primary fibres vertical to surface, '28 to 

 •42 millim. apart, 3 to 5 spicules broad ; secondary fibres approxi- 

 mately vertical to primaries, about "28 to -42 millim. apart, 2 to 5 

 spicules broad. Dermal skeleton composed of long subparallel 

 spiculo-fibres, rather compact, without visible horny material, 3 to 

 10 spicules broad, *53 to "7 millim. apart ; the intermediate spaces 

 are occupied by an irregular 1-2-spicular network. Subjacent 

 sarcode transparent, pale brown ; that of dermis almost colourless, 

 pinkish. Spicules smooth acerate, tapering to moderately sharp 

 points from within about two diameters of ends ; size - 33 by -0125 

 to -019 millim. 



Hah. Port Darwin, between tide-marks ; bottom rock and 

 sand. 



The specimen is an irregularly flattened mass, 75 millim. (3 inches) 

 long, 35 millim. broad, 20 millim. in gTeatest thickness, and involves 

 several stones in its substance. The peculiar arrangement of the 

 excretory tubes distinguishes it from any species which I can 

 find described. In the allied form Pellina semitubulosa, Lieber- 

 kiihn (Schmidt, Adr. Meer. p. 75 ; Atl. Geb. p. 41), perhaps the 

 most nearly related described species, the spicules taper very gra- 

 dually to sharp points, as in Amorphina panicea, Johnston, and 

 measure *38 to *44 by "01 millim., and no true vent-tubes seem to 

 be formed either in this or in the other species referred to Pellina 

 by Schmidt. 



50. Protoschmidtia hispidula. (Plate XLI. figs. p,j>'.) 



Erect, lobose, nodular, the subcylindrical lobes have a slight 

 tendency to branch sideways and a strong tendency to anastomose ; 

 lobes about 4 to 6 millim. in diameter. Growth bushy (i-e. in 

 more than one plane). Surface beset with a velvet-like pile of fine 

 hair-like pokits, -5 to 1 millim. apart and about '25 to -75 millim. 

 high ; between points, leathery and glabrous. Vents ? Texture 

 in spirit elastic and fairly compressible, tough ; colour dark reddish 

 brown. Main skeleton consisting of spiculo-fibre 4 to 6 spicules 

 broad, closely but not firmly united ; numerous short parallel 



