1. Chalinida 



On Sponges from South Australia. 277 



XXVII. — Descriptions of Sponges from the NeigJibourhood of 

 Port Phillip Heads J South Australia, continued. By H. J . 

 Caetee, F.R.S. &c. 



[Continued from vol. xv. p. 321.] 



Foe ready reference I will also here insert a tabular view of 

 my arrangement of the order Rhaphidonema, as I shall take 

 this (probably my last) opportunity of offering such revisionary 

 remarks on it as my experience since it was published in 1875 

 seems to dictate. It is as follows : — 



Order IV. EHAPHIDONEMA. 



Families. Groups. 



1. Digitata. 



2. Palmata. 



3. Reptata. 



4. Spinifera. 



5. Tubulodigitata. 



6. Aculeata. 



7. Subaculeata. 

 2. Cavochalinida -{ 8. Ciliata. 



I 9. Bivalvata. 

 I 10. Complanata. 

 L_ll. Plicata. 

 (12. Solida. 



8. Acervochalinida •< 13. Olathrata. 



( 14. Dictyalia. 



4. Psmdochalinida | J|- ^g^f^gitata. 



The diagnosis which I have given for this ■ order — viz. 

 " Possessing a skeleton composed of horny fibre with a core 

 of proper spicules. Form of spicule chiefly simple acerate and 

 chiefly confined to the interior of the fibre," — is too short and in- 

 definite to lead the student to the more useful or distinguishing 

 characters of that kind of sponges which the order is intended to 

 comprise, whose typical structure, to which I shall hereafter 

 more particularly allude, may be taken from that of Chalina 

 jpolychotoma^ Esper. What this type is we learn from John- 

 ston, who, with a specimen of the British species before him, 

 identified it with Esper's ^^ Spongia polychotomay tab. xxxvi." 

 (Johnston, Hist. Brit. Sponges, &c. p. 94, pi. iii.). 



The name given by Johnston to this sponge is '•'' Halichon- 

 dria oculata^'' which Dr. Bowerbank changed to ^''Chalina 

 oculata " (Mon. Brit. Spongiadse, vol. ii. p. 361), accompanied 



