Fam. 2. Gumminida .

The specimen of Chondrilla nucula, to which I have alluded, is subglobular, lobate, about in. high and 2 in. in hori ­ zontal diameter now in its spirit-preserved state; if dried this would be considerably less. When fresh the colour was much the same as it is now, viz. “ dark grey, nearly black.” In short, it is precisely the same as the Adriatic species first described by Schmidt, which I find to be world-wide in dis ­ tribution.

It may be remembered here that I have already described and illustrated a species of Chondrilla of a buff-colour from Port Jackson, under the name of C. austrediensis (‘Annals,’ 1873, vol. xii. p. 23, pl. i. figs. 10-15). In appearance and colour, besides growing over all bodies with which it comes in contact, this much resembles Halisarca australiensis, but here again the resemblance ceases, tor Chondrilla australiensis is corticate and possesses spicules; while C. australiensis not only differs from C. nucula, Sdt., in colour, but slightly in spiculation also, as the genuine specimen of C. nucula, Sdt., above mentioned in Mr. Wilson’s collection well demonstrates.