54 THE SPONGES. 



in B. levis, the largest diacts are in the neighborhood of the gastral surface, 

 where they frequently form tracts. 



In addition to the large smooth hexacts already mentioned, one ray of 

 which protrudes as a prostal spicule, smaller hexacts are occasionally found 

 with equal or unequal rays, reaching 700 /x in length, spinose, and some- 

 times curved. It may be questioned whether they belong to the sponge. 



Schulze's specimens of the type were taken in the southwestern part of 

 the Bay of Bengal on Globigerina ooze, at a depth of 1997 fathoms. It is 

 very easy for scattered prostalia to be lost in the handling of a sponge, and 

 as Professor Schulze has suggested, perhaps such spicules were originally 

 present in his specimens. 



Staurocalyptus Ijima. 



1887. Rhahdocalyptm F. E. Scliulze, jtars, Schulze, 18S7, p. 155. 

 1897. " " " , Sclmlze, 1897, p. 33. 



1897. Staurocalyptus Ijima, 1897, p. 53. 



1898. " Ijima, 1898, p. 52. 



1899. Staurocalyptus Ijima, Scliulze, 1899, p. 47- 



Staurocalyptus, sp. 



Plate 6, Figs. 4-10. 



At Station 3370, a small sponge was taken, which is completely mace- 

 rated, but in which the shape has been preserved, owing to the fact that 

 the parenchymal diacts are so interwoven with one another. There are 

 no discoverable autodermal or autogastral spicules distinguishable from 

 the parenchymalia, and the probability is that they have been completely 

 lost. The specimen differs from the described species of the genus, but 

 may turn out to be a young form. Owing to the absence of the autoder- 

 malia and autogastralia, the sponge cannot be adequately characterized, 

 and I refrain from giving it a specific name. 



The body. Fig. 6, Plate 6, is a flattened sac 25 mm. high with a 

 greatest transverse diameter of 15 mm. ; wall about 4 mm. thick, gradually 

 thinning out above to an oscular edge. Long prostal oxydiacts protrude 

 from the upper end of the body, forming a collar. These spicules extend 

 longitudinally through the lateral wall of the body, emerging above, at 

 some distance below the oscular margin, which is thus left free of pro- 

 jecting spicules, as in Aphorme horrida F. E. Sch. (Schulze, 1899, p. 41). 



