54 E. KIEKPATRICK. 



and contracted waist give the impression of a budding of the upper half of the specimen 

 from the lower. 



The colour is pale brown in spirit, and is due apparently to the abundance of 

 masses of cellules spheruleuses ; the specimens described by Topsent are grayish or 

 whitish. 



The ' Discovery ' specimens have, in parts, a hispid rather than a conulose surface, 

 the spicules standing above the level dermal membrane -like sticks out of water ; but 

 in other places the surface is finely conulose. The oxeas are 642 x 18 y«, those of the 

 'Belgica' being 630 x 18-20 /a. By deep staining of a portion of macerated skeletal 

 network a small amount of spongin becomes discernible at the nodes. The flagellated 

 chambers, 55 x 40 ju,, though rather large, are smaller than those of Topsent's specimens, 

 in which they are of unusual size, viz. 70 x 50 //,. The second specimen is merely a 

 shapeless fragment. 



Dredged near Winter Quarters, ofi" Hut Point, 25 fms. ; No. 12 hole, 25-30 fms. 

 The 'Belgica' Expedition obtained several small specimens from 450 metres, in 

 Lat. 71° 19' S., Long. 87° 37' W. 



