A NEW GENUS OF THE HEXACT1NELLID SPONGID.E. 221 



brought from the Philippine group are obtained by the natives in plenty on the opposite, 

 eastern, side of the island of Zebu, but that no sponges are said hitherto to have been 

 got from the sound or channel above mentioned. 



One day, while in the forest, Professor Steere was suddenly apprised of the arrival of 

 the 'Challenger' Expedition, by a note from Professor Wyville Thomson, who had heard 

 of him and his whereabouts. He hastened on board, passing, as he assures me, a most 

 agreeable day in the company of our countrymen. He doubts if the English naturalists 

 obtained any other specimens of this sponge {Denclrospongia), though he told them of his 

 one, and where and how acquired*. 



I may only further add to the history of the specimen that its transport has been an 

 adventurous one. Its great size and fragile nature prevented packing up in the boxes 

 with the other objects collected. Safe carriage then depended on its being carried about 

 by hand. To this end a native grass cord was fastened to the stronger portion of the 

 root, the more delicate branches were partly wrapped in cotton-wool, and the object 

 inserted in a paper bag, with a loop of the cord out. Thus slimly protected it afterwards 

 was borne for hundreds of miles on foot and on horseback ; afterwards on shipboard it 

 was slung to the cabin roof, and there freely dangled during the subsequent long voyage 

 homewards. The wonder is such a delicate brittle organism escaped injury and smash, or 

 was preserved tolerably intact through such a journey. 



Extekior axd Sections. — This example of Steere's sponge may well be compared in 

 outward figure to a shrub, or even with greater propriety, so far as superficial appearance 

 is concerned, to some of the branching corals. The above remark of course only applies 

 to the siliceous skeleton, the sarcode and dermal membrane being quite unknown to me. 

 The lower basal end is laterally expanded and to a certain degree flattish, the thickness 

 being less by one fourth than the breadth. The inferior left end (see fig. 1, PI. 5XXVI.) 

 has a depending, slightly curved, broken stump or kind of resemblance to a root, whicb, 

 however, may have been part of a horizontal branch ; in this case the whole sponge might 

 have had a greater tilt or inclination to the right than the drawing exhibits. To the 

 inferior right corner a smaller broken branch projects upwards and slightly outwards. 

 Above this the basal portion mounts as a gently sinuous stem, giving off three irregular, 

 short, stoutish main branches about equidistant above each other. The middle one has 

 a sinistral obliquity, but only a short and considerably worn part of it remains. The 

 right main branch is given off lowest, and has received rather rough usage and consi- 

 derable abrasion ; about 2 inches from its commencement a knob only shows evidence 

 of a branch now absent. As much again higher up is a trifurcation, and each of these 

 secondary branches bifurcates, terminally producing the long upright but curvilinear 

 whorled surface branches, one, if not two, of these exhibiting short forked ends. The 

 left main branch also divides into three secondary branches expanding outwards ; each 

 of these again bifurcating and trifurcating, and some terminally being forked like those 

 on the right. When in the living state doubtless this sponge has a somewhat more 



* Since reading this communication, Sir Wyville Thomson's return has enabled me to show him the accompanying 

 Plates ;' the species he does not recognize as being among their collections, although it is possible a less perfect spe- 

 cimen or fragmentary portions may be found among the stores of material as yet imperfectly -worked out. 



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