SPONGES — WHITELEGGE. 465 



Texture rather tough and somewhat elastic. Colour yellowish 



Skeleton consisting of an intricate network of stoutish primary 

 and secondary fibres, charged with foreign spicules and a few 

 sand grains. The connecting fibres are somewhat ill-defined, 

 being composed of spicules proper to the sponge. The dermal, 

 subdermal and choanosomal regions are also amply provided with 

 strongylote spicules manufactured by the sponge. 



Primary fibres 0'2 to 0*25 mm. in diameter ; secondaries from 

 0'05 to 0"1 mm., and the slender connecting fibres vary from 

 0*001 to 002 mm. The mesh of the network is generally oval 

 or oblong and is usually about 0-5 in the shorter diameter. The 

 spicules consist of strongyla 0-13 to 0-15 mm. in length by 0-0055 

 mm. Sigmata and chelae of various kinds have been observed, 

 but I failed to find any microscleres that could be regarded as 

 proper to the sponge. This species undoubtedly presents features 

 which link it with the genus Chondropsis, yet it appears to have 

 lost its microscleres or to have selected such a quantity of foreign 

 ones that the spicules of its own make are undistinguishable from 

 those of other sponges. C- and S-shaped microscleres are present 

 on the dermal surface as well as in the body of the sponge, but 

 these are so irregular in shape and disposition that I cannot 

 regard them as spicules secreted by the sponge. 



CHONDROPSIS LAMELLA, Lendevfeld, sp. 



Phoriospongia lamella, Lendenfeld. Austr. Mus.Cat.xiii., Sponges, 

 1888, p. 194. 



Station 53. 



One fine example off Crookhaven River, at a depth of 23 

 fathoms. 



CHONDROPSIS KIRKII, Carter, sp. 



Dysidea kirkii, Carter, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., (5), vii., 

 p. 374. 



Sigmatella australis, Lendenfeld, Austr. Mus. Cat., xiii., Sponges, 

 1888, p. 195. 



Sigmatella corticata, Lendenfeld, Austr. Mus. Cat., xiii., Sponges, 

 1888, pp. 195-199; Id., Mon. Horny Sponges, 1889, pp. 613 

 and 618. 



Stations 48, 59. 



Two specimens were obtained, one off Wollongong and the 

 other off Narrabine. Depth 30 to 56 fathoms. 



