Remarks h>j Mr. H. J. Carter. 389 



on the membranous sarcode, a.s in the British-Museum speci- 

 men (in the way described by ^Ir. Carter), they have been 

 drawn in to the arms of the other spicules by the contraction 

 of the sarcode. 



Remarls hij Mr. Cakter. 



The SY)Cc'imcn of Laburia hemis-jylurrica above described and 

 figured by Mr. Higgin is fortunately so well preserved that 

 there can be no doubt of its being in a natural state, viz. un- 

 affected by destructive influences or tampering of any kind, 

 as that which I described belonging to the British Museum 

 ('Annals,' 1873, ser. 4, vol. xi. p. 275) ; hence it serves well 

 to correct that description. 



That "cat's-whisker-like " groups of spicules do project 

 from the sides of Lobar ia hemisjjJtcerica as normal appendages 

 there can now be no doubt ; and that the anchoring-spicules 

 with S2)ined shafts are abnormal may be inferred from their 

 entire absence in ^Mr. Iliggin's specimen. AV e must therefore 

 conclude that the latter belonged to the " fraudulent tuft " 

 of anchoring-spicules from Mei/erina clnvcpformis, which had 

 been thrust into the base of the British-Museum specimen. 

 And for this I am well prepared, seeing that in my figures 

 of the stipposed anchoring-spicules with spined shaft from 

 Labaria hemisp/tferica, and the real one from Mei/erina davce- 

 formis respectively that I have figured ('Annals,' 1873, vol. xii. 

 pp. 467, 468, pi. xiv. figs. 1 & 3), it is stated and shown that 

 the differences between these two spicules are " too slight 

 for specific distinction." 



Further, it now appears to me that, while the shafts of the 

 anchoring-spicules oi Labaria hemisphoirica and of the genus 

 Rossella are all smooth, those of Ilyalonema &c. are all spined ; 

 and that the latter only appear to be sometimes smooth 

 from the spines being continued upwards from the free end 

 for a less distance in some than in others, whereby when the 

 spined ends are broken off (which is often the case) there is an 

 appearance of two forms, viz. one sjjined and the other 

 smooth. Hence the mistake. 



EXPLANATION OF TIIE PLATES. 

 Platk XXL 



Fiy. \. Hyalonema cehuense, Iliggin, after a photograph by Robinson and 

 Thompson, rather less than half the actual size : a, the investing 

 latticework ; b, portion denuded of the latticework, which has 

 been destroyed by a parasitic fungus attacking the sarcode which 

 supported and connected the spicules. 



