'54 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



LXI. — On a Xew Ge^tus a>:d Species of Spo^'GE. Ey Ed. Peeceyax 

 "Height, ^M. A., IE. 3)., F. L. S., Professor of Eotany and Keeper 

 of the Herbarium, University of Dublin. (Vith Plate 40.) 



[EeadMay 8, 1S76.J 



"While "working over the very large and valuable collection of Algae 

 ■^hich is under my care in the Herbarium of Trinity College, my atten- 

 tion has often been attracted by the large number of animal remains, 

 to be seen either adherent to or nestling among the fronds of certain 

 species. Xot to allude to a vast number of species of Polyzoa, vrliich 

 are often endophytic to such an extent as to render the species of 

 Algse impossible to be determined ; species belonging to the Pycno- 

 gonidse, Zoanthidte, ifcc. are often very numerous, and sometimes large 

 numbers of sponges and foraminifera will be met ^th. 



Of the sponges, the species as a rule belong to forms -^th either a 

 calcareous or a homy-fibrose framework : very rarely, and then only at 

 the root-like extremities of some of the larger forms, have I met "with 

 siliceous sponges. 



The little form that I venture to describe here as new was fii'st 

 known to me fi'om observing portions of its stem, as in figure 3, Plate 

 40, often without a trace of any body portion, and at a glance, and 

 using only a hand lens, I thought it must belong to some novel penta- 

 crinoid foiTQ. A closer examination showed the fibrous natui'e of the 

 stem portion, and after a while more or less perfect specimens were 

 discovered, which left no doubt but that they belonged to a sponge. 

 A careful microscopical investigation showed that there were no 

 spicules, but it will be recollected that I had nothing but the well 

 dried and often flatly pressed specimens to examine ; still these were 

 found, for the most part, on species of Delesseria which had been 

 freshly gathered by Professor Harvey on the Australian shores, and it 

 is not very probable that any large portion of the substance of the 

 sponge had disappeared. A few siliceous spicules were now and then 

 to be seen, but evidently got to be entangled, as foreign bodies, in the 

 sponge mass. 



The following may serve as a diagnosis of the genus : — 



Kaxiispoxgia, gen. nov. 



Sponge substance keratose, consisting of three distinct and well- 

 marked portions ; firstly, a small basal disk ; secondly, an elongated 

 stem, on the summit of which expands the third portion or capitulum. 

 The disk is button-shaped, flat, and is formed of an ii-regular horny 

 framework, twice to thi-ee times as broad as the stem. The stem varies 

 in height, and presents the appearances in some cases of a series of 

 margined rings, some twenty in number, fastened together one on the 

 top of the other ; in others the margins of the rings will be more pro- 



