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Mr. H. J. Carter’s Contributions 
of mucus only, suspending and holding together a number of 
cells and granular material, thus contrasts strongly with the 
fibre-layer beneath. It should also be observed that this 
layer is exclusively charged with the flesh-spicules (fig. 3). 
Spicules of two kinds, viz. :—1, skeleton-, long, more or less 
straight, acuate, smooth, more or less abruptly sharp-pointed, 
l-92nd inch long, by 1-4000th inch broad in the centre, which 
is slightly larger than the blunt end (fig. 2) ; 2, flesh-spicule, 
consisting of a straight shaft, spined at each end and in the 
centre; spines mostly recurved at the ends of the shaft, but 
often projecting in various directions, the terminal one fre¬ 
quently in a line with the shaft and the lateral ones recurved, 
thus hastiform (fig. 3, a), distributed generally about the 
centre of the shaft irregularly, but frequently aggregated into 
two circlets situated at equal distances from each other and 
the extremities (fig. 3); shaft, exclusive of the spines, about 
l-375th inch long by 1-9000th inch broad. Skeleton-spicules 
chiefly confined to the chondroid fibrous skeleton; flesh- 
spicules to the epithelial layer on the surface of the excretory 
canals; both equally mixed in the areolar sarcode. Size of 
entire specimen 5f inches high, 4 inches in diameter at the 
upper or free end, 2 inches in diameter at the lower or fixed 
end; excavation conical, 3| inches deep; orifice compressed, 
elliptical, elongate, 2 inches by yV inch in its greatest dia¬ 
meters. Thus the wall at the brim is an inch thick ; and 
increasing downwards, in accordance with the conical form of 
the excavation, just below the latter the sponge becomes at 
least 4 inches in diameter, continuing thus solid to the base. 
Hence the great general solidity and thickness characteristic 
of this sponge. The photographed representation, which has 
been lithographed (fig. 1), is about 4-6ths of the natural 
size. 
Hah. Marine, on hard objects (fig. 1, a a). 
Loc. Australia, Port Jackson. 
Obs. Examined in the wet state. This remarkable sponge, 
now bearing the no. “ 619,” came, as just stated, from Port 
Jackson, in Australia, and was presented to the British 
Museum by the late J. B. Jukes, Esq. It appears, from its 
present state, to have always been preserved in spirit as it 
now is, and thus rendered more satisfactory for examination 
than if it had been previously dried ; for such is the difference 
between a sponge taken alive, immediately placed in spirit 
and kept in this state, and one that has been dried, that, for 
the most part, it may be fairly stated to lose more than one 
third of its natural characters by the latter method of preser¬ 
vation ; while if it has been worn away by the action of the 
