é 
372 MARINE BIOLOGY OF THE SUDANESE RED SEA. 
The skeleton is quite free from foreign bodies, and agrees very closely with 
the original description. 
Locality. Suakin Harbour. 
Distribution. Red Sea, Mediterranean, East Coast of North America, 
Australia. 
HIRCINIA VARIABILIS, var. HIRSUTA, Schmidt. 
Synonymy :— 
1879. Hireinia variabilis, Schulze (26 a). 
1862. Hircinia hirsuta, Schmidt (26). 
1889. Hircinia variabilis, var. hirsuta, Lendenfeld (20). 
A single large specimen has been assigned to this variety, though the 
external form differs somewhat from the description given by Lendenfeld (20). 
The present specimen consists of a fairly thick encrusting mass, which 
probably grew over some coral, as fragments of coral are still attached to it. 
The average thickness of the specimen is 5 mm., but at one place, near the 
edge of the sponge, a thickening occurs to 15 mm. This was probably the 
result of a depression in the substance on which the sponge grew, as the 
upper surface of the sponge is quite level. At the immediate edge the sponge 
rapidly thins out to nothing. 
No oscula were to be observed on the sponge. 
The surface of the sponge is covered with conuli, which are large and 
very conspicuous. They averagé 8 mm. high, and are about 10 mm. in 
diameter at the base. In some parts of the sponge they lie quite close 
together, while in other parts they are not only less frequent, but also smaller. 
From the summit of each conulus one of the main fibres of the skeleton 
‘very slightly projects. 
The colour of the sponge is a dark brown-grey in spirit. 
The skeleton is extremely similar to the description given by Lendenfeld (20) 
for the variety. There are enormous numbers of “‘ Hircinia fibres.” 
Locality. Shab-ul-Shubuk. 
Distribution. Red Sea, Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, Australasia. 
Hircrnia RAMOSA, Keller. 
Synonymy :— 
1889. Hircinia ramosa, Keller (18). 
There is a single specimen of this species in the collection, and it forms a 
rather small encrusting sheet, detached entirely from any support. 
The surface is covered with small conuli 2 mm. to 3 mm. high, irregularly 
and rather sparsely scattered over the whole sponge surface. 
The colour in spirit is yellowish white. 
