14 Mr. R. Kirkpatrick on 



the affinities of Stephanoscyphus, the specimen was sent to him 

 for inspection. He replied that the material was not suffi- 

 ciently well preserved for the exposition of anatomical details. 



The specimen consists of four pieces from 2 to 6 inches in 

 length, the colour varying from dark to pale brown. 



Many of the hydrothecae are empty, and where the polypites 

 are present they are fully retracted, with the tentacles intro- 

 verted. 



The four longitudinal markings in the gastric cavity of the 

 polypite are in some cases plainly visible; but whether these 

 are solid projections of the mesoderm lined by endoderm, or 

 canals lined by endoderm, owing to the state of preservation 

 of the soft tissues it is not possible definitely to decide. 



The main distinction between Stephanoscyphus and the 

 closely allied genus Spongicola of F. E. Schulze* consists in 

 the presence of a hypostome in the latter. So far as can be 

 made out from preparations of Stephanoscyphus Allmani, the 

 tentacles arise from the edge of the orifice of the invaginated 

 polypite, and consequently there is no hypostome. 



The internal chitinous projections of the perisarc have a 

 remarkable shape in the new species, and are single on one 

 plane. In the Mediterranean species usually four processes 

 project inwards in the same plane, and two or three such par- 

 titions may be present in one hydrotheca. The presence of 

 the chitinous processes probably arises from the necessity for 

 support of the soft tissues, which otherwise could not have well 

 maintained their position in the wide funnel-shaped tubes 

 characteristic of the Spongicolidae. 



The specimens of Stephanoscyphus^ simplex J, Allman 

 (sp. MS. ?) (PI. III. fig. 2), dredged by H.M.S. < Valorous ' in 

 1450 fath., North Atlantic, lat. 56° 11' N., 37° 41' W., consist 

 of single funnel-shaped tubes attached to pebbles by a slightly 

 expanded base. 



The internal chitinous processes in this species form hemi- 

 spherical swellings, four being formed on the same plane. 

 These isolated hydrothecse may be the initial stage of colonial 

 forms, since solitary hydrothecas of S. Allmani were found on 

 shells from the Tizard Bank. 



Claus § places Stepthanoscyphus mirabilis, Allman, and 

 Spongicola Jistularis, Schulze, in the family Spongicolidse. 



* F. E. Schulze, " Spongicola Jistularis, ein in Spongien wohnendes 

 Hydrozoon," Archiv mikr. Anat. Bd. xiii. 1877, p. 795, Taf. xlv.-xlvii. 



t Proc. Roy. Soc Loud. 1876, vol. xxv. p. 22;l. 



% The speciiic name " simplex " is on the bottle containing the speci- 

 men ; but I have not seen a published description of that species. 



§ Claus, * (ii-undziige der Zoologie ' (1880), p. 2<52. 



