Mr. H. J. Carter on new Species of Subspherous Sponges. 177 
limited at the surface by a condensed cortical layer of the 
sarcode, neatly defined on its inner margin, by its dark purple 
colour, from the light-brown-coloured sarcode of the interior (6). 
Spicules of the radiated structure of three kinds (fig.7), viz. :— 
1, stout, long, straight, smooth, fusiform, acerate (a); 2, trifid 
-extended or furcate (c) ; and, 3, trifid recurved or anchorate ; 
the last two with very long, delicate, slightly fusiform, smooth, 
straight, pointed shafts. Spicules of the body or light-brown 
sarcode of the interior of two kinds (figs. 8 & 9), viz.:—1, stout, 
short, slightly curved, smooth, fusiform, acerate, with one 
half generally a little larger than the other (fig. 8) ; and, 2, mi- 
nute, doubly sigmoid, or circular (that is, sigmoid in opposite 
directions, or spiral), contort (fig. 10, a, b), sparsely spinous on 
the shaft, and terminated at the extremities by three — 
spines about the same size—something between a hamate an 
an anchorate form; spines of the shaft vertical, pyramidal, 
chiefly situated upon the prominent parts of the shaft. 
spicule is so numerous as to form the greater part of the bulk 
of the fleshy substance. Size of sponge 11-12ths of an inch 
in horizontal, and 3-12ths of an inch in vertical diameter. 
. Unknown. dd 
Obs. Described in a dried state, aided by soaking in water 
&e. Probably convex on its surface throughout, when fresh, 
but now possessing the depression in the centre, as repre- 
sented in the figure, which seems to have arisen from col- 
lapse of the vacuolar or canal-system internally during desic- 
cation. 
The dark-purple colour and muricated surface are striking 
features of this sponge. All the spine-like processes are trun- 
cated ; but probably, in their original and uninjured state, each 
had a pencil of spicules extending beyond the sarcode (fig. 6), 
composed of a variable number of the kinds above described 
as peculiar to the radiated structure, the furcate and anchorate 
heads of the long-shafted spicules being outermost, while the 
simple points belong to the stout acerate spicule, which accom- 
panies and contrasts forcibly with them in its robustness and 
inferiority of number. i 5 
These characters, with the smooth poem areas in which 
the pores are situated, and here and there an osculum, together 
with the radiated structure internally, limited by the cortical 
condensation of the sarcode at the circumference, which thus 
Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 4. Vol. vi. 12 
TEST ERR 
Sah ae D 
