102 Mr. H. J. Carter’s Contributions to our 
the late Dr. Bowerbank, which by purchase have been added 
to the Museum, that I have something to alter in and add to, 
respectively, the characters of the three families into which 
the Order has been divided. 
Family 1. Luffarida. 
As regards the general characters of the first family, viz. 
the Luffarida, I have little to state more than that the digitate, 
branched forms, which may be hollow or solid, closely resemble - 
those of the digitate Chalinida in having, when solid, the 
vents in plurality scattered over the branches, and when 
tubular or hollow, single only, at the ends of the branches re- 
spectively; also that, in addition to the other forms men- 
tioned, they may be thick and fan-shaped,—thus pointing out, 
in both instances, that form in the Spongida is not to be 
depended on alone in specific description, while as to size, 
under favourable circumstances, there seems to be no limit; 
for the specithen of Luffaria Archeri, Higgin, vulg. “‘ Nep- 
tune’s Trumpet” (‘ Annals,’ 1875, vol. xvi. p. 223), found by 
Dr. Archer at Belize, and presented to the British Museum by 
Mr. Thomas H. Higgin, F'.L.8., of Liverpool, 1s 5 feet 5 
inches long and 44 inches thick in its greatest diameter, which 
is about a foot from the mouth, as I am informed by Mr. 
Stuart O. Ridley, F.L.8., of the British Museum, to whom I 
am indebted for these measurements. 
Geographically the Luffarida, which appear to abound 
in the seas between the two Americas, ex. gr. Carib- 
bean Sea (De Fonbressin et Michelotti), are also to be found 
on the 8.W. coast of Australia (Bowerbank collection, from 
George Clifton, Esq.) and in the Levant (British Museum, 
from Admiral Spratt). 
Family 2. Aplysinida. 
Here the distinction from the Luffarida is chiefly im the 
relative size of the granular axis to the thickness of the horny 
fibre, which is the opposite to that in the Luffarida, where the 
horny element is greatest, and thus the fibre rendered more or 
less rigid; while that of Aplysina, on the contrary, by its 
thickness, becomes more or less flaccid (Pl. LX. figs. 10, 11), 
to which may be added, perhaps, a more or less massive lobate 
form generally, spreading laterally rather than vertically. 
Having entered into the history of the Aplysinida prepara- 
torily to describing the species A. corneostellata= Darwinella 
aurea (‘ Annals,’ 1872, vol. x. p. 101 &c., pl. vi.), I need 
