332 A MONOGRAPH OF THE 



knowledge of this sponge. He states it was dredged in 

 six fathoms, in Larne Lough. It is two inches and eight 

 lines in height. It has not its natural base, but from the 

 dense character of the tissues of its present one, it has 

 evidently been separated very little above its original at- 

 tachment. Four lines above its proximal termination 

 there is the remains of a large branch, and the stem above 

 is reduced from four lines in diameter to two lines, and at 

 nine lines above this point it divides into three branches, 

 and these again, one trichotomously, and another dichoto- 

 mously, spreading laterally to the extent of two inches. 

 The terminal branchlets gradually attenuate to points, more 

 or less acute. At present the whole sponge is somewhat 

 compressed, but as it has been dried on a sUp of writing 

 paper, it is probable that this compression is not a natural 

 character. The surface is even, and very minutely hispid 

 from the projection slightly beyond the surface of the distal 

 terminations, of the primary lines of the skeleton. The 

 oscula are not visible without the aid of a lens of about an 

 inch focus. The skeleton spicula are small, but vary con- 

 siderably in length and stoutness ; the larger ones being 

 these of the primary fasciculi of the skeleton, and these 

 are frequently slightly flexuous. The tension spicula are 

 minute and very slender, and are exceedingly few in num- 

 ber. The retentive spicula are also very small, and of very 

 rare occurrencfe. 



I subsequently received two more specimens of this species 

 from my friend, Professor Dickie ; they were united by the 

 anastomosing of a branch from each. They very closely 

 resembled in size and general character the specimen first 

 described. One of them had its natural base, a very slight 

 expansion of the sponge, on the surface of a small bivalve 

 shell. They were also from Larne Lough, County Antrim, 

 dredged in five fathoms. 



