<;t32 Mr. E. Kiikpatilck on 



the border districts of the Ethiopian and Palfearctic Regions 

 (Red KSea coasts), Rh. nu'das from the shore of the Persian 

 Gulf. These, as well as the four truly " Mediterranean " 

 species, are undoubtedly of Oriental origin. Worth noticing 

 is the close faunistic connexion between the Spanish Penin- 

 sula and N.W. Africa (Algeria) : the same race {ohscurm) of 

 ferrum-equinum. 



Central Europe : — Rh. ferrum-equinum typicus ; Rh. 

 Jiipposiderus t//picus. — The Central European i?A. hipposiderus 

 is slightly diflferent from the Mediteri'anean form. 



British Islands : — Rh. ferrum-equinum-, Rh. hipposiderus 

 niinufus. — Both of the Central European species have reached 

 the British Islands. Rh. hipposiderus, as being the more 

 hardy of the two species, as having spread over the whole of 

 England and to several places in Ireland, and as having 

 become to a certain slight degree different from the conti- 

 nental form, was probably the earliest comer. The range of 

 Rh. ferrum-equinum is restricted to the southern part of 

 England. 



The whole Area of the Genus. — All the now-existing 

 species can be referred to six " types.''^ All the types can be 

 traced back to some part or other of the Oriental Region. 

 From there they have spread eastwards as far as Eastern 

 Australia and Japan, south-westwards over the whole of the 

 Ethiopian Region, westwards to Southern and Central 

 Europe. 



LXXIV. — On the Oscules o/Cinachyra. 

 By R. KiRKPATRlCK. 



[Plate XIV.] 



While engaged in the investigation of specimens of 

 Cinochyra barhata, Sollas, obtained by the * Discovery ' from 

 the Antarctic, I was led to examine examples of that species 

 obtained by the * Challenger^ from Kerguelen and described 

 by Sollas in his Report on the Tetractiuellida. 



Specimens of this species are spheroidal or ovoidal in 

 shape and with a root-tuft ; the surface bristles with a pile- 

 like coat of spicules, which are mostly protrisenes. Arranged 

 round the sides of the sponge are flask-shaped recesses with 

 oval or circular orifice and with the margins guarded by a 



