Sponge-fauna of Madras. 163 



appearance and by their spiculation, and although there are in 

 the collection three specimens of the one species and two of 

 the other, none of them show any transitional condition 

 between the two species. It is also very interesting to observe 

 how different spicules are utilized in the two species for the 

 same function, viz. the protection of the surface. 



Hircinia clathratay Carter. 



1881. Hircinia clathrata, Carter, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 5, vol. vii. 

 p. 366. 



With this species I identify two dry, washed-out specimens 

 of fair size. There can be no reasonable doubt as to the 

 identification, for Mr. Carter's original specimen, which came 

 from the Gulf of Manaar, is sufficiently well characterized to 

 make it certain, although I have been unable to examine the 

 type. 



The species has hitherto been recorded by Carter from the 

 Gulf of Manaar and from the Red Sea. 



Hircinia vallata, n. sp. 

 Hircinia vallata, R. v. Lendenfeld, MS. 



Sponge more or less semicircular in outline. Consisting 

 of an erect, thick, flattened lamella, with a narrow, smoothly 

 curved upper margin, along which the oscula are placed. 

 Surface flat, like the surface of a wall, honeycombed by 

 numerous shallow, rounded or polygonal depressions. Tex- 

 ture very coarse, rough and cavernous ; there is an enormous 

 quantity of foreign matter present, such as sand, sponge- 

 spicules, &c. Colour brownish grey. The oscula are, as 

 already stated, arranged along the upper margin of the sponge ; 

 they are the openings of wide exhalant canals, radiating 

 upwards from deep down in the body of the sponge. In the 

 single specimen from Madras there are also numerous much 

 smaller round openings scattered over both flattened surfaces 

 of the sponge ; but it is not certain whether these are oscula 

 or not ; they do not occur in the Ceylon specimen, to be 

 mentioned later on. 



The single specimen from Madras measures 140 millim. in 

 height by 290 millim. in width ; it is 45 millim. thick in the 

 centre of the base and 12 millim. thick in the centre of the 

 upper margin. The oscula and the large exhalant canals 

 leading up to them average about 4*5 millim. in diameter. 

 The Ceylon specimen is of the same general form, but 

 broader, thicker, and not quite so high. 



