376 Mr. H. J. Carter on Purisiphonia Clarkei. 
XLI.—Emendatory Description of Purisiphonia Clarkei. 
Bk., a Hexactinellid Fossil Sponge from N.W. Australia. 
By H. J. Carter, F.R.S. &c. 
Iy the month of May 1869 the late Dr. Bowerbank published 
a description, with microscopic structure, of a fossil hexacti- 
nellid sponge from N.W. Australia, to which he gave the 
name of Puristphonia Clarkez, after the Rev. W. B. Clarke, 
F.G.S8., who found the specimen at Wollumbilla in Queens- 
land (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1869, p. 342, pl. xxv. figs. 6 and 7) ; 
and in May 1870, Charles Moore, Esq., F.G.8., gave a figure 
of the entire specimen, with Dr. Bowerbank’s description 
(‘Australian Mesozoic Geology and Paleontology,” Quart. 
Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. xxvi., May 1870, p. 235, and pp. 240- 
242, pl. xvii. fig. 1). 
In October 1877, while going over some of the late Dr. 
Bowerbank’s collections, I found a specimen of this sponge, 
and, not having observed any allusion to it in Prof. Zittel’s 
“Studien iiber fossile Spongien” (Hexactinellida), transl. 
‘ Annals,’ 1877, vol. xx. p. 257 et seqqg., I mentioned the fact 
to him, which he acknowledged to be the case, and suggested 
my writing a new description of Purtsiphonia Clarke, for 
which he kindly supplied me with the references. 
It was not, however, until February 1878, that I obtained 
Mr. Moore’s address, when he informed me that the original 
specimen had been sent back to Sydney, but that he had two 
small portions of it, which, together with a copy of his paper, 
he subsequently forwarded to me. Thus with the three frag. 
ments, each of which is about two inches square and the 
whole thickness of the sponge, viz. about half an inch, I have, 
together with Mr. Moore’s figure, every thing that is neces- 
sary for description, saving the figure of the sponge entire, 
which, if yet found, has never been published. 
Purisiphonia Clarket, Bk. 
Fossil siliceous. Entire specimen consisting of an irregular 
triangular portion about 4 inches square and half an inch 
thick, more or less curved, so as to give the idea of having 
once formed part of a hollow sponge, which had grown out 
here and there into processes, as indicated by three large 
holes (one of which is 2 inches in diameter), whose external 
edge, respectively, is raised above the common level of the 
specimen, indicative not only of the outside of the sponge, 
but of its having grown outwards in this direction. What 
these processes were like, viz. whether short or long, open or 
closed, the specimen does not reveal. Colour ochre-yellow, 
