STUDIES ON THE COMPARATIVE ANATOMY OF SPONGES. 325 
Studies on the Comparative Anatomy of 
Sponges. 
II. On the Anatomy and Histology of Stelo- 
spongus flabelliformis, Carter; with 
Notes on the Development. 
By 
Arthur Dendy, M.Sc., F.L.8., 
Demonstrator and Assistant Lecturer in Biology in the University of 
Melbourne. 
With Plates XXX, XXXI, XXXII, & XXXIII. 
The species upon the study of which the present paper is 
based, was first described by Mr. H. J. Carter, F.R.S., in 1885 
(6), under the name Stelospongus flabelliformis. The 
first specimens were dredged by Mr. J. Bracebridge Wilson, 
M.A., and forwarded by him to England as part of a large 
collection entrusted to Mr. Carter for description. Mr. Carter's 
description is unfortunately brief and unaccompanied by figures, 
and he does not enter into any details concerning the anatomy 
of the Sponge. He notes, however, in a subsequent paper (7), 
that it is characterised by the presence of very large embryos, 
and this remark first led me to the identification of my 
specimens. 
Daring the last Easter vacation it was my good fortune to 
spend some days in dredging with Mr. Bracebridge Wilson in 
the neighbourhood of Port Philip Heads, and amongst 
numerous other interesting Sponges we happened to obtain a 
horny Sponge which, when torn open, was found to contain a 
large number of enormous spherical embryos, each as large as 
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