HALICHONDRIA. 105 



conclude, are readily perishable. The inosculations of the fibres 

 are extremely variable, and form very irregular reticulations. 

 Besides these uniting fibres, it is thickly intei'spersed with more 

 minute unconnected branches, arising from the sides and angles 

 of the anastomosing fibres." Montagu. 



The fibre is very unequal in thickness, and appears interrupt- 

 edly striated under a high magnifier, from the spicida shining 

 through the clear membranous gluten which cements them to- 

 gether. The spicula are very numerous, short, straight or curv- 

 ed, linear but obtusely pointed at both ends, and not trmicate 

 except when they are broken, which is mostly the case. 



H. fruticosa, as Montagu remarks, agrees in many particulars 

 with the Spongia lichenoides of Pallas, but the fact that the lat- 

 ter is a native of the Indian ocean, has prevented us considering 

 them the same. H. fruticosa has a strong animal odour in com- 

 bustion, whereas that which the S. lichenoides exhales is vege- 

 table or nearly so. 



* * Cellular like crvunb-of-bread and friable when dried : the 

 spicula lying in a gelatinous membrane. (Nearly coequal 

 with the genus Tragos of Schiveigger, Handb. 422.) 



10. H. INFUNDIBULIFORMIS, loiclely funnel-shaped, of a 

 uniform porous spongy texture; spicula linear and pointed. 

 Plate VI. Fig. 3. 

 Spongia infundibuliformis ? Petiv. Pterogr. Amer. tab. 19, fig. 6. 

 Spongia infundibuliformis, Lin. Syst. 1296. Mull. Zool. Dan. 

 prod. 256, No. 3085- Esper, Spong. tab. 57, fig. 1, 2. Jameson, 

 in Wern. Mem. i. 562. Turt. Gmel. iv. 657. Stew. Elem. ii. 

 433. Bosc, Vers, iii. 168. Montagu in Worn. Mem. ii. 103. 

 Graij, Brit. PI. i. 359. 

 Spongia crateriformis, Pall. Elench. 386. 



Spongia calyciformis, Lam. Anim. s. Vert. ii. 365. 2de edit. ii. 555. 

 Spongia Pocilliim, Lamour. Cor. Flex. 45, (exc-lus. syn. Midi, et 



Fabric.) Corall, 166. 

 Halichondria infundibuliformis, Flcm. Brit. Anim. 524. 



