214 TKANSACTIONS LIVEEPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



a piece of rock dredged off the Arran Islands. The largest 

 of the colonies is laterally compressed, measuring 14 by 

 3 mm. horizontally, and 10 mm. vertically. It bears 

 seven oscula, with an average diameter of 1 mm. The 

 conules are about 2 mm. in height. Its colour (in spirit) 

 is a transparent white. 



Sycandra ciliata, Fleming. 



One specimen, on rock, Arran Islands. 



Halichondria caruncula, Bowerbank. 



A small erect specimen, dredged off the Arran Islands. 



Beniera (densa, Bowerbank, ?) 



A small piece of a renierid sponge was dredged off 

 Arran Islands, which may possibly belong to above species. 



Desmacidon fucorum, Johnston. 



A few small fragments were dredged off Arran Islands. 



Esperella sordida, Bowerbank (PL XI, figs. 1-9). 



Rhaphiodesma sordida, B., Brit. Spong., vol. iii., p. 230, pi. lxxvi.. 



This sponge has been described only by Bowerbank, 

 who gave it the specific name on account of its poor and 

 ragged outer appearance, but a more interesting and more 

 beautiful aspect than that which the skeleton of this 

 species offers can scarcely be imagined. The only speci- 

 men obtained is about half the size of a pea, and encrusted 

 a piece of rock dredged off the Arran Islands. Its colour 

 in spirit is straw-yellow. It is of a very soft consistency, 

 and almost fell to pieces when touched. The megascleres 

 in the specimen are styli, 0'26 by 0*0045 mm., whilst 

 Bowerbank figures spicules of a more tylostylote character. 

 The microscleres are of three forms : firstly, palmate 

 anisochelse, 0'032 by - 0122 mm., which are mostly 

 arranged in beautiful rosettes. The axes of the 

 anisochelse may either lie in one plane, occupying the 

 radii of a circle (see PI. XI, fig. 2), or they may lie in 

 various planes, generally occupying the radii of a hemi- 



