Report on the zoological collections made in the Indo-Pacific Ocean ...

388 COLLECTIONS FROM MELANESIA.gelidfe, which Vosmaer has recently (Mitth. Zool. Stat. Neapel, iv.pp. 444, 445) employed. On the geographical distribution of themembers of the Family see the subsequent <strong>Report</strong> on the Collectionsmade in the Western Indian Ocean.14. Dysidea favosa.Marshall, Zeitsch. loiss. Zool. xxxv. p. 98, pi. vi. figs. 6-11.Fragments ; exhibiting, however, the secondary pouches in thewall of the tube, into which the excretory canals open, as describedby Marshall. Here also, as in Marshall's specimens, the foreigncontents of the fibres are chiefly sponge-spicules, but linear siliceousforms seem to prevail.Hah. Port Darwin, between tide-marks.Distribution. Bass's Strait {Marshall).15. Dysidea fusca.? Hircinia fusca, Carter, Ann. c^- 3Iaff. N. H. (o) vi. p. 36.One specimen is composed of two anastomosing lobes, somewhatcompressed, 9-17 millim. in diameter, one being pointed and45 millim. high, the other shorter and blunt. Vents few, scatteredbetween conuli ; tubercular, about 1 millim. across. Couuli 2-3millim. apart, about 1 millim. high, apex often ridge-like; intermediatesurfaces concave, depressed, glabrous. Texture in spirit fairlytough ; colour dark reddish brown. Mr. Carter speaks of the fibrebeing " covered " with foreign material. In this specimen it is verycoarse, viz. "07 to -25 millim. thick, and has the structure of that ofDysidea (i. e. is filled with coarse foreign bodies). Sarcode dense, reddishbrown, granular. Main skeleton somewhat irregular, primaryfibres plainly distinguishable only near surface; secondary fibresstout, irregular in direction. Dermal skeleton chiefly composed ofcoarse fibres, -25 millim. broad, radiating from conuli. The fibres ofthe main skeleton contain a distinct yellow horny substance, and are•occasionally devoid of foreign bodies for a short distance.It seems possible that this may be Mr. Carter's species, but hisdescription is too short to decide the matter. In a second specimen,which covers the upper surfaces of the body and limbs of a crab,throwing up short lobose projections at intervals, the conuli aresmaller, pointed, and only 1 millim. apart, and the colour is a dullreddish brown.Hah, Prince of Wales Channel, Thursday Island, Torres Straits,3-4 and 7 or 9 fms. *Distrihution. Ceylon ( Carter) ?Histolofpj. The cortex and subjacent tissues contain large quantitiesof granular reddish-brown cells, with circular outline, apparentlythose of the ectoderm (tSchuhe) lining the excretory cavities,which give the sjionge its peculiar colour. In some parts of thepaler-coloured sponge they are still distinguishable, but in othersthey are scarcely demarcated from the general transparent sur-