118 



ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



IN('P:ilTiE SEDIS. 



15. NoN-8i'i('i;i,ATK si'ONUEs. — Pyritoiisspots of iiidctcriniiiiile form, 

 iiiicl showiiii; iiiulcr tlio Ions only an oliscnre <i,Tannhir and Hoctuleiit ap- 

 ]»earanc'o arr not infreciuont on the. surfaces of the Metis shales. In addition 

 to these, howevei'. tiiero are two types of these oltjeets of more detinite 

 sliape. either triaiiii'nlar with a (hirk space in the centro or oval. The 

 former seem to lio flattened liollow cones, the latter possihiy flattened 

 sacs. Someof the former show suiticieiit traces of spicules to connect them 

 with Protospo/K/id riiathiformix. while others may he entirely pyritized 

 individuals of P. (It'lhufuhi. In aihlition to these, however, there are 

 others which, under the lens and when moistened, show indications of 

 simple linear spicules, and more numerous examples which seem to be 

 composed of indeterminate and interlaced fihres remindincj one of the 

 tissue of a c()i-neo\is spono-e. None of them have any indications of 

 aiudiorini; rods. For the present I merely mention them as possihiy 

 indicatinj^ types of sponi>-es distinct from any of those ahove described. 



lli. Spiculate sacs. — Imbeddcil in the debris of the larg-er specimens 

 of Hyalostelia, there are oval flattened patches made uj) of a dense mass 

 ot' very snudl and apparently sim])le spicules, but presenting mi a])erture 

 or anchorini>--rods. lliivinii- found them only in connection with Hyalo- 

 stelia, I at tirst inuii;;ined they might be -some form of ovarian body ; 

 but Dr. T'^'v\<le doubts this, and is inclined to regard them as distinct 

 organisu. One of them is represented in Fig. 30 of about the natural 



.>f: 



Fk;. 'M.—Spirul(ife sac, found 

 with tiyalostelin. 



si/c. If distinct .sponges, there uuiy have been some commensal relation 

 iietwcon them and Hyalostelia. They are quite distinct from the little 

 masses of broken spicules referred to above in Section IV. 



17. Minute Globular or Circular Bodies. 



Surfaces of an inch or more in diameter are occjisionally sli])pled 

 with mimite pyritous spots ; when magnified these appear perfectly round 

 and of approximately uniform dimensions. The}' may either be inor- 



