Sjionyes fiuiii the Atlantic Ocean. 233 



compressed and expanded at the distal extremities, the ter- 

 minal ones short, fork-like, but round at the ends; stem helovv 

 the branches short, thick, expand«'d nt tlie base. Colour 

 yellowisli white or dark brown. Surface even, hirsute (fig. 

 3, a). Tores and vents indistinct. Internal structure compact, 

 increasing in density towards the axis, composed of spicules 

 held togetiier by cellular sarcode, which again is traversed by 

 the excretory canals. Spicules of two kinds, viz. skeleton- 

 and flesh-spicules. Skeloton-spicules of two forms, viz.: — 1, 

 large, acuatc, attcnuatingly pointed, bent or suddenly curved 

 towards the large end, 92- by U-1800ths inch (IM. XV. 

 fig. 25, a) ; 2, subskcleton, sub-pinlike, smooth, attcnuatingly 

 pointed, nearly straight, sparsely microspined at the extremity 

 of the inflated end, 45- by ^-ISOOths inch (fig. 25, h). Flesh- 

 spicules of three forms, viz. : — 1, acuate, club-shaped, attcnu- 

 atingly pointed, bent towards the large end, sparsely s])ined 

 throughout, spines vertical, 19- by l-1800ths inch (Pi. XII. 

 fig. 3, b) ; 2, equianchorate, shuttle-like, with nearly straight 

 sliaft— 6-6000ths inch long by li-GOOOths inch broad at the 

 arms (fig. 3, c & /) ; 3, tricui'vate or bow-shaped, smooth, 

 with pointed and spined exti'eraities, 26-1800ths inch long 

 (fig. 3, d,e). The large acuates form the chief part of the 

 stem, where they are arranged vertically, while others are 

 projected through the dermal sarcode at right angles to them, 

 and thus give the hirsute character to the surface ; the sub- 

 pinlike spicule projects at the base of the latter, and the 

 spined acuate flesh-spicules at their base again, appearing just 

 beyond the dermal sarcode; while the equianchorate and bow- 

 shaped flesh-spicules are dispersed generally throughout the 

 structure. Size of largest entire specimen (of which there are 

 two) 3^ inches long by 2^ inches broad ; stem at the bottom 

 ^ inch long and \ inch thick. 



Ilab. Marine, attached by an expanded base to hard objects. 



Loc. Between the north of Scotland and the Faroe Islands, 

 in 440 and 345 fathoms. 



Obs. There are two specimens of this sponge, obtained 

 respectively from stations 51 and i^^^ as indicated by the 

 numbers on their respective jars. These numbers give the 

 deptlis and locality above mentioned. The smaller specimen 

 is alone, in the jar numbered " 51 ;" Avhilc the other not only 

 has a portion of JlalicJiondria Hi/ ndmani on one of its branches, 

 but in the jar arc nho Pacbasfnlla abi/ssi, WnviUe-Thomsonia 

 WalUcliiij and all the specimens on the Tercbratule and 

 pebble mentioned under Spougia officinalis. 



In several of the order Echinonemata, and especially of the 

 branched forms of which Dictyorijlindnis ahyssorxim is one, 



