126 Mr. R. Kirkpatrick. Ona Remarkable  [Aug. 16, 
spicules, and the other with cemented spicules. Among siliceous sponges 
the mere presence or absence of cement (spongin) is not of much importance. 
In Halichondria we may find separate scattered spicules, in Reniera they are 
often joined into a network cemented at the nodes with spongin, the strands 
being formed either of one spicule or of a bundle; in Chalina, the bundles 
of spicules are wholly enveloped in spongin, and in certain horny sponges 
derived from Chalinine the spicules have gone, and a network of spongin 
fibres alone remains. So in Calcarea, the spicules are separate and 
irregularly arranged in the parenchyma in Leucandra ; in Plectroninia the 
spicules of the main skeleton are joined chiefly at the ends; in Petrostroma 
and Minchinella the calcareous cement in the older parts of the sponge 
completely envelopes the spicules, and in the sponge described below a 
network of cement alone remains. 
In 1900 Minchin (6, p. 110) included the Pharetronide as one of the five 
families of the Heterocoela, characterised by the possession of tuning-fork 
spicules; and divided it into two sub-families, viz., (i) Dialytine, Rauff, 
with uncemented spicules, (ii) Lithonine, Doderlein, with body-spicules 
united by cement into a rigid framework. 
Doubtless some of the genera placed among the Dialytine will be found 
to belong to the Lithonine, and possibly others to the Sycettide and 
Grantide of Dendy. 
Steinmann’s classification (8, p. 112) is nearly the same as Minchin’s; for 
he divides the Pharetrones into (1) Lithonina, and (11) a group including 
Inozoa (Dialytina pars), massive sponges with leuconoid canal-system, and 
Sphinctozoa, moniliform sponges with syconoid canal-system ; but Steinmann 
could not employ the term Dialytine, for he regards the Pharetron fibre as 
a bundle of cemented spicules. 
The classification used in this paper is that of Minchin, with an additional 
new sub-family. .The specimens about to be described were obtained by 
Dr. C. W. Andrews during his second visit to Christmas Island. On one 
occasion, the steamer which plies between Singapore and the island got its 
anchor fixed among the rocks in 46 fathoms off the shore of the latter 
place. After tugging for a long time with full steam on, the ship at 
last got free. The anchor brought away a mass of rock on which were 
found four specimens of the new sponge. The specimens were detached 
from the rock a little time after capture, and put into methylated spirit. 
The sponges were found to belong to a new genus and species of 
Pharetronide, which family now includes six recent species. The new 
species will certainly prove to be of very great interest both to the student 
of recent sponges and to the paleontologist, for not only is the rigid main 
