250 Mr. H. J. Carter on Deep-sea 



depth of 500 fathoms at the entrance of the English 

 Channel. 



The sponge itself, being very minute^ while its conceal- 

 ment, according to the habit of the so-called " boring sponges," 

 being, with the exception of the small apertures through 

 which the heads respectively are protnided, completely within 

 the branches of the coral, it is impossible without breaking up 

 the Lophohelia to ascertain its exact form, though this may be 

 anticipated from our acquaintance with that of Cliona coral- 

 linoides^ so common on the British coasts (' Annals,' vol. viii. 

 1871, p. 14, pi. ii. figs. 33-37), since all these "boring 

 sponges " have the same kind of half-reticulated, half-lobu- 

 lated form -in the interior of the bodies which they inhabit. 



This species, however, is especially beautiful on account of 

 the dense mass of large, spiral, sinuous spicules (fig, 33) 

 with which the sarcode is charged, presenting, when torn to 

 pieces under the microscope, the appearance of tresses of 

 curled hair. It is figured by Dr. Bowerbank in his B. S. 

 (vol. i. p. 239, pi. iii. fig. 71) as it " occurs in the interstitial 

 membranes of Oeodia carinata^ Bk. MS." ! 



Cliona abyssorum being, according to my an-angement, a 

 Suberite, will come under my fifth group of sponges, viz. 



RAYNERIiE. 



Desmacella pumilio^ Schmidt (Atlantisch. Spongienfaun. p. 53, 

 Taf. 5. fig. 14, and mounted specimen in British Museum). 

 PL XV. fig. 42, a, b, c. 



Amorphous fragments of this sponge occur about the speci- 

 men of Corticium abyssi which envelops the Lophohelia just 

 mentioned (Annals, I. c). Its skeleton-spicule is pin-like 

 (fig. 42, a) ; and fiesh-spicules a bihamate (fig. 42, c) and a 

 very much flattened tricmwate (fig. 42, 5), which latter, how- 

 ever, does not appear in Schmidt's illustrations of this sponge. 

 But as yet I do not know what value to attach to these flesh- 

 spicules in many instances as special characteristics. At the 

 Cape of Good Hope (Natal) the same kind of small equi- 

 anchorate navicular form is present in several sponges, many 

 of which are even more than generically different. 



In my arrangement Desmacella immilio would come among 

 the Suberites in my 5th division, viz. Rayneriji:. 



Reniera fibulata^ Schmidt (Spong. adriatisch. Meeres, p. 73, 

 Taf. vii. fig. 9). PI. XV. fig. 44, a, b. 



Fragments of this sponge occur about this specimen (in 



