288 Mr. H. J. Carter 07i 



sometimes expanded horizontally and proliferouslj foliated or 

 cabbage -like. 



Group 11. P LI CAT A. 



Althougli not in Mr. Wilson's collection, but coming from 

 hard by, viz. the neighbourhood of the Cape of Good Hope, 

 and therefore probably represented on the south coast of 

 Australia, I would here insert the following description of the 

 specimen, which is intended to typically illustrate the species 

 for which this group was instituted, as although promised in 

 my Classification, it has not hitherto been given. 



Textiliforma foliata. 



Large mass of cloth-like, flat, very thin and expanded fron- 



dose portions, rising from a contracted short stem, apparently 



independent of each other, but, in fact, all continuous, although 



so interfolded and deeply indented at the margin as to present 



a plurality of separate dissepiments ; or, in a large, single, 



semicircular, stipitate, frondose form, more or less proliferous. 



Consistence firm, resilient. Colour, now in its dried state, pale 



yellow-brown, with traces of the original sarcode, which was 



purple. Surface uniformly even on both sides. Vents, in 



little groups, petaloid, rosette-like, scattered plentifully over 



the surface ; each group about l-24th in. in diameter and 



l-12th in. apart ; but while confined to one surface only this 



depends upon the position of the fold, so that on one part they 



may be on one side and on the other on the other ; hence they 



are in patches, that is not continuous throughout the same side 



of the frond, in the interfolded or plicate form ; while, of 



course, in the other form, where there is no plication, they are 



all on one side. Internal structure compact, tough, formed of 



short-jointed keratose fibre charged with the usual form of 



acerate spicule internally, and surrounded by sarcode equally 



charged with the same spicule together with a number of 



equianchorates or flesh-spicules. Skeletal spicule carved, 



smooth, fusiform, sharp-pointed, about 28- by 2^-6000ths in. 



in its g-reatest dimensions. Flesh-spicule, a navicular shaped 



equianchorate with rather obtuse ends when viewed in front, 



about 6-6000ths in. long. Size of largest specimen 17 in. 



high by 12 in. broad; wall of the frond or lamina §■ in. thick. 



Hah. Marine. 



Loc. Cape of Good Hope and its neighbourhood. 

 Ohs. There are several specimens of this sponge in the 

 British Museum (all dry, of course), viz. No. 60, registered 

 71. 5. 12. 1, &c. from Port Elizabeth ; and No. 509, regis- 

 tered 40. 9. 28. 27, from " the Cape j" together with two other 



