88 PROF. F. JEFFREY BELL — CONTRIBUTIONS TO 



fishers, in some 20 fathoms of water, not far from the Island of Negropont. The size 

 of the boat and the appliances it contained were doubtless well adapted even for the 

 magnificent sponges which those fishers obtain, but it was not sufficient to carry a 

 specimen more than 6 feet high and more than 6 feet wide. To these unfortunate 

 limitations of strength and space are due the fact that the base of the specimen had 

 to be cleft in twain, so that part of the brittle base was lost. No other serious acci- 

 dent befell the specimen, though tact and diplomacy were needed to effect its removal. 

 It is now in process of being skilfully mounted, and will, no doubt, be for many years 

 one of the most noticeable features in the Zoological Galleries of the Museum. 



Description of the Specimen, with measurements. 



As will be immediately seen from the figure (Plate XI.), the great beauty of this 

 example lies in the density of the reticulation. The base is convex with a sharp edge, 

 where it is uninjured, and spreads over an area of 350 by 200 millim. ; from it at once 

 arise two great trunks, the larger and finer of which gives rise to a fan which is almost 

 2 metres high (6 ft. 6 in.), while it is more than 2 metres wide (6 ft. 8i in.) ; the 

 smaller fan is 1-425 metre (4 ft. 8 in.) high, and is 1-280 metre broad (4 ft. 2\ in.). 

 The main trunk of the former is 425 millim. (1 ft. 5 in.) in circumference, and that of 

 the latter is about 290 millim. (11^ in.). 



This last trunk rises some 100 millim. and then divides into two branches, one of 

 which, that on the left, as seen in the figure, is more than twice as wide as the other ; 

 it again rises some 100 millim. before dividing, and then gives ofi" several branches ; 

 the one most to the right begins almost at once to enter into intimate reticular con- 

 nection with the original right trunk ; the next does not do so for some distance from 

 the i)oint of origin, and still further off it becomes connected with its neighbour. It 

 is only quite at the top of the whole of this smaller fan that this second trunk to the 

 right becomes connected with the branches given off to the left ; but somewhat lower 

 down there are distinct signs of a fracture and loss of pieces which might have well 

 effected a more extensive reticular connection. 



Of the trunks which I speak of as being given off to the left four belong distinctly 

 to the left side, and one is almost median in its position ; the four laterals almost 

 immediately become connected with one another, and three of them fuse to form a stem 

 150 millim. in circumference; this rises almost parallel to the more median trunk, with 

 which it enters into close connection. From the middle of the reticulation between 

 them another trunk arises, which effects unions with the continuations of the stems 

 both to the right and to the left of it. To the left, and in a plane more remote from 

 the observer (who may be supposed to be standing in front of the whole colony), a large 

 trunk rises up, soon swelling into a considerable enlargement. Thus, joining their 

 neighbours here, bending forward there, or sidewards, now outwards, then inwards. 



