BRITISH SPONGIAD^. 101 



Habitat. — British Channel, Brighton, Mr. Beckles. 

 Examined. — In the dried state. • 



For this remarkable sponge I am indebted to the kind- 

 ness and liberality of Mr. Samuel H, Beckles, of St. 

 Leonards, who states, " I obtained it at Brighton ; it was 

 brought in by a fishing-boat, and is the only piece of the 

 kind that I have ever seen." 



The pedicel is barely an inch in height ; at an inch and 

 a half from the base it has divided into four primary 

 branches; within an inch from their origin these primary 

 branches each divide dichotomously, and this mode of 

 division continues, with a single exception of one branch 

 dividing trichotomously, so that at four inches from the 

 base there are as many as twenty-two, all nearly in the 

 same plane, assuming a fan-shaped series of branches, eight 

 inches in height by about the same extent in width. The 

 branches are cylindrical, or very slightly compressed ; be- 

 side those produced by dichotomous division there are a 

 few slender ones, thrown off irregularly, but laterally from 

 the principal branches. In the dried condition of the 

 sponge the hispid character is remarkably striking, the 

 fasciculi of radiating spicula projecting from the central 

 cylinder of the skeleton to the extent of at least one third 

 of the whole diameter of the branch; but it is probable 

 that in a living state their apices would be barely visible 

 beyond the dermal membrane, no portion of which remains 

 attached to the sponge, but portions of the sarcode and 

 interstitial membranes are still found in situ, near the apices 

 of the radiating spicula, in which there are numerous 

 slender, fusiformi-acuate tension spicula belonging to the 

 membranes, collected in loose fasciculi, which each contain 

 a considerable number of these spicula. The internal de- 

 fensive spicula of the skeleton are not very numerous ; they 

 are slender in their proportions compared with the like 

 description of spicula in other sponges, nor are the spines 

 very strongly produced. Montagu's Spongia ramosa, de- 

 scribed as " pahnated and digitated round the top," and 

 said to have been " first noticed in Mr. Boyer's cabinet of 



