2 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



Several of the groups have since been worked out in considerable detail, 

 but again the sponges were left untouched. 



The number of sponges in these united collections is not great. Tn fact, 

 .is always happened in the earlier dredging expeditions, the only sponges that 

 were collected as such were the larger and more conspicuous kinds. Shells, 

 corals, stones, and other material dredged up were not examined and retained, 

 as they would lie to-day, for small, encrusting sponges, which are now known 

 to exist in extraordinary numbers and in great variety of species. However, 

 a search through other groups in the Royal Irish Academy and Royal Dublin 

 Society collections in the National Museum, such as the mollusca, the 

 hydroids, and particularly the corals, resulted in the discovery of a number of 

 small, for the most part encrusting, sponges of considerable interest. 



The number of species in all is only thirty-eight. Of these two, My cole 

 {Paresperdla) atlantiea and Fore pin fragilis, are described as new. The 

 former is interesting on account of the fact that it is the first representative 

 of the sub-genus Paresperella found in the Atlantic Ocean. 



The following live species are noted for the first time within the Irish 

 area : — 



Laxosuberites e< lyoninus Topsent. 



Desmacidon fruticosum {Montagu). 



Hymenancora conjungens bwndbeck. 



Microeinna laevis Hmnrhiinl:. 



Tiagosia pnlypoides (ScJimidt). 



Twooftl / and Hymenancora cory'ungens, 



have not lx>en taken previously oil any part of the British Isles ; each, in 

 fact, lias only been recorded once up to the present, the first-mentioned in 

 the Mediterranean, the second off the Bouth coast of Iceland. 



CALCAREA. 



The five calcareous sponges represented in the collection are among the 

 commonest species found round our coast, and call for no special remark. 

 They are as follows : — 



Clathrina coriacea (Montagu). 

 II. U.S. Survey. Blacksod Bay. 



Leucosolenia complicata < Montagu). 

 Ii.D.S. Survey. Station 238, Lough Swilly, 8-12 fathoms, 



