BRITISH SPONGIADjE. 271 



Ml*. Norman, there are a nuaiber of dark oval bodies 

 apparently ova of some Zoophyte, but I could find 

 none of them in the substance of the sponge, nor did I 

 observe them on the specimen from Mr. Thompson. I 

 conclude, therefore, that they do not belong to the sponge. 

 I obtained numerous specimens of this sponge coating 

 Peoten opercularis at Hastings, 1862. They were taken 

 by the trawlers at the Diamond Ground, about ten miles 

 off that town. The whole of them when alive were of a 

 reddish orange colour; when dried, they were all of an 

 ochreous yellow. 



28. Halichondria inornatus, Bowerbank. 



Sponge. Amorphous, parasitical on Zoophytes or Fuci ; 

 somewhat compressed. Surface irregular, smooth. 

 Oscula simple, dispersed. Pores inconspicuous. 

 Dermal membrane reticulated, rete very large and 

 strong, multi-spiculate ; spicula same as those of the 

 skeleton ; areas abundantly furnished with tension 

 spicula of the same form as those of the skeleton ; 

 and also with simple and contort minute bihamate 

 retentive spicula. Skeleton irregular and diffuse in 

 structure ; rete strong and multispiculous ; spicula 

 sub-fusiformi-spinulate, stout, and rather long. In- 

 terstitial membranes abundantly spiculous ; tension 

 spicula same as those of the skeleton ; retentive spi- 

 cula, simple and contort minute bihamate spicula. 



Colour. — Dried, dirty gray. 

 Habitat.— ^\\ei\wA, Mr. C. W. Peach. 

 Examined. — In the dried state. 



This sponge was dredged at Shetland, in 1864, by Mr. 

 J. Gwyn Jeffrey, and was preserved for me by Mr. Peach, 

 who accompanied the expedition. The specimen is some- 

 what compressed. It is three inches in length, two inches 



