HALJCHONDRIA. 143 



Spongia maramifferis. Par/u7ison's Oryctology, 43. 



Spongia Imperati, D. Chiaie, Anim. s. Vert. Nap. iii. 114, tav. 37, 



fig. 18 and 23. 

 Tethya? penicilliformis, Gray, Brit. PL i. 362. 



Hab. "■ Coast of Devon, very rare, 3Iontagu. Found on 

 Robin Hood's bay sands (Scarborough) after a severe storm," 

 W. Bean. " Found on the i-ocks at White House Point ; July 

 1811," Tempi eton. " A specimen of this sponge was dredged 

 in Strangford lough in 1835, by Mr Hyndman and myself," 

 Wm. Jliompson. 



Sponge sessile, amorphous, compact, the surface prolife- 

 rous of numerous long tubular flexile processes : base crusta- 

 ceous, thick, without any pores, villous or sericeous when 

 recent, rather soft and yellowish, but after being dried white, 

 firm and incompressible : the processes slender, from a few 

 lines to fully an inch in height, compressed, slightly tapered, 

 transparent and delicately reticulated, open at the extremity, 

 which is plain and round. The spicula are long and straight, 

 fusiform, sharp at both ends. In the basal portion they are 

 very numerous and arranged in bundles ; but in the processes 

 they are less abundant, and the areolar appearance of the sur- 

 face is produced by many of them being disposed crosswise. 



" The interior substance of this species," says Montagu, " is 

 precisely that of [Tethea] Lyncurium, but instead of being or- 

 bicular, it spreads horizontally upon marine bodies, and shoots 

 upwards from its surface cylindric tubes of nearly an inch in 

 length, which have an opening at the apex : these tubes are 

 distant ; and not disposed in regular order, nor of any deter- 

 minate size ; but on the same specimen may be observed tubes 

 from the eighth of an inch upwards, in all gradations, to the 

 length before-mentioned. In drying, the tubes become com- 

 pressed and a little arcuated, and all incline the same way ; 



