Mr. G. E. Dobson on a new Species of Vesperugo. 135 



as if the wall were furnished with two kinds of radial canals, 

 one set opening into the central cavity, while the others 

 commence about the middle of the wall and widen outwards. 



The skeleton appears to be composed chiefly of tri- and 

 quadriradiate spicules ; I have, however, never succeeded in 

 distinctly displaying their form in thin sections. 



I have no hesitation in referring this elegant genus to the 

 Sycones. The whole external form of the cylindrical sponge- 

 body, its construction of radial tubes, the numerous serially 

 arranged ostia on the wall of the central cavity, and, finally, 

 the mesh-like interspaces on the outer surface agree in a 

 remarkable manner with certain living Sycones. It is, how- 

 ever, impossible to assign it precisely to a place among the 

 recent genera, on account of the imperfect preservation of 

 the skeletal spicules. 



The typical species has been well figured by Goldfuss 

 (Taf. iii. fig. 10) as ScypMa punctata. It occurs, not very 

 abundantly, in the middle sponge-limestone of the White 

 Jura. The skeleton almost always consists of calcite, and 

 shows indistinct spicular structure. Rarely also specimens 

 with a silicified skeleton occur ; and one of these must have 

 been taken \>y O. Schmidt for his figure (Atlant. Spong. 

 Taf. i. fig. 21). The fragment probably shows the surface of 

 the wall of the stomachal cavity with the ostia of the radial 

 tubes, which stand in regular rows, and thus somewhat 

 remind us of the Hexactinellidge. That O. Schmidt indicates 

 canals in the skeletal fibres is due to an illusion, at least if the 

 figure in question belongs to ScypMa punctata. 



In Quenstedt's ' Petrefactenkunde Deutschlands ' there are 

 good figures of ScypMa punctata (Taf. exxxi. figs. 24-27). 



XV. — Description of a new Species of Vesperugo from Ber- 

 muda. By G. E. Dobson, M.A., M.B., &c. 



Vesperugo vagans, n. sp. 



Ears short, triangular, like those of V.pipistrellus; the tragus 

 reaches its greatest Avidth in the upper third, its inner margin 

 is slightly concave above, the outer margin straight in the lower 

 two thirds, with a small rounded lobe at the base, not suc- 

 ceeded by an emargination, upper margin broadly rounded 

 off, in general outline, on the whole, like that of V. rnaurus. 



Postcalcaneal lobe well developed; the last rudimentary 

 caudal vertebra alone free. 



Fur, above, dark reddish brown ; beneath similar, but paler 



10* 



