British Species of Sponges. 339 
on the same rock; and the third on the valves of a small 
bivalve shell. 
Mr. Carter writes:—“ I found this sponge first beside a 
patch of Microciona spinarcus on a clay boulder which had 
fallen from the New Red Sandstone cliff” [at Budleigh Sal- 
terton] “into the landwash close to low-water mark, and 
afterwards on a mass of small Pecten-like shells drawn up about 
ten miles off Budleigh Salterton by a fishing-hook. When 
fresh it presents the appearance of a thin, sooty-black, slimy 
layer, extending irregularly in leprous-like patches, almost 
as thin as silver paper, on the surface of clay boulders; be- 
coming brown-black when dry and assuming the form of a 
thin cuticle with glistening surface irregularly papillated and 
pierced by the pointed ends of spicules; vents very small, 
scattered over the surface here and there.”’ 
The pores now visible are few, minute and generally scat- 
tered ; on the specimen on the shell one or two areas of small 
extent are observable in which the surface is reticulated ; 
whether the intervals of the rete are occupied by pores or not 
I cannot determine. 
In the dry state the ectosome is tough, comparatively thick, 
and very dark coloured. 
The skeleton consists of branched columns of slightly curved 
styles rising vertically from the base to the surface. At their 
origin these columns are formed of compact bundles of spicules 
pointing straight upwards and entirely imbedded in fibre; 
very shortly the points of the spicules begin to protrude at a 
small angle, and the columns are echinated besides by smaller 
entirely spined styles (hence the proposed specific name) ; 
finally the columns terminate by the main spicules spreading 
out in somewhat scanty brushes, which support and partly 
penetrate the ectosome. In the branches the spicules spread 
out in flattish somewhat fan-shaped brushes. ‘The ectosome 
contains large numbers of smooth tylota lying in horizontal 
bundles parallel to the surface; these last also occur at the 
base of the sponge and sparingly throughout the choanosome 
in the intervals of the columns. 
Spiculation.—Megasclera, three, viz. :— 
1. Styles curved, chiefly towards the larger end, spined at 
the base and, more slightly, for about halfway up the spicule; 
average measurements about *26 x *009 millim. (fig. B, 1). 
2. Smaller, entirely spined, straight styles, tapering from 
base to point; average measurements ‘097x:009 millim. 
(ig 7B; 2): 
3. Smooth straight tylota, rounded and slightly inflated 
