484 " THETIS " SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. 



some three hundred examples in the Museum collection obtained 

 at various times, but chiefly by the "Thetis" Expedition, and 

 in every instance the Gorgonoid characters are obscured by the 

 sponge. 



Surface reticulated with a series of shallow depressions and 

 low subconulose echinated ridges which have a tendency to form 

 short lines and then to terminate in radiating tufts of spiny styli. 

 The subdermal and internal substance is densely charged with 

 straight cylindric oxea, the extremities of which taper to rather 

 blunt points. Numerous short, sharply bent chelae, with large 

 flukes nearly meeting in the middle, are present in tlie 

 choanosome. 



Megascleres : — straight or slightly curved spined styli; the 

 apical portion is smooth and very acute ; the basal two-thirds 

 bears a series of more or less recurved spines ; the base is some- 

 what truncate and spiny. Size about 0"25-0'3 mm. byO'OlSmm. 

 Oxea 0-19 mm. long by 0*0065 mm. 



Microscleres : — short stout isochelse, 0*0 15 to 0-02 mm. in length. 



