136 MicrROGRAPHIA. 
added, in the third Figure of the I X. Scheme, of a piece of it, which you 
may perceive reprefents a confus'd heap of the fibrous parts curioully 
jointed and implicated. The joints are, for the moft part, where three 
es onely meet, for | have very feldom met with any that had four, 
At thefe joints there is no one of the three that feems to be the ftock 
whereon the other grow, but each of the fores are, forthe moft part, of 
an equal bignefs, and feemeach of them to have an equal fhare inthe 
joint ; the “me are all of them much about the fame bignefs, not fmaller 
towards the top of the Sponge, and bigger neerer the bottom OF root, as 
is ufuall in Plants, the length of each between the joints, is very irregu- 
lar and different; the diftance between fome two joints, being ten or 
twelve times more then between fome others. joa 
- Nor‘are the joints regular, and of an equitriagonal Figure, but.for the 
moft part, thethree fibres {o meet, that they compofe three angles very 
differing all of them from one another. 
The methes likewife, and holes of this reticulated body, are not lef 
various and irregular: fome Azlateral, others trilateral, and quadrilateral 
Figures; nay, I have obferv'd fome mefhes to have 5, 6, 7,8; or 9. fides, 
and Na to have onely one, fo exceeding various is the Lajas Nature in 
<atebin’ the outward appearance of this Vegetative body, they arefo 
ufuall every where, that I need not defcribe them, confifting of a foft 
and porous fubftance, reprefenting a Lock, fometimes a fleece of Wooll; 
but it has befides thefe {mall microfcopical pores. which lie between the 
fibres, a multitude ‘of round pores or holes; which, from the top of it, 
pierce into the body, and fometimes go quite through tothe bottom. __ 
~ Phave obferv'd many of thefe Sponges, to have included. likewife in 
the midft of their fibrous contextures, pretty large friableftones, which 
muft either have been inclos’d whil'ft this Vegetable was in formation,or 
generated in thofe places after it was perfectly fhap'd. The later of which 
eems the mare improbable, becaufe] did not find that any of thefe ftony 
fubftances were perforated with the fibres of the Sponge. dt 
Ihave never feen nor been enform’d of the true manner of thes 2 
ing of Sponges onthe Rock;whether they are found toincreafe fromlittle 
togreat,like Vegetables,that is, part after part,or like Animals, all parts 
equally growing together; or whether they be matrices or feed-baggs of 
any kind of Fikes. afar kind of watry Infect 5 -or whether they are at 
any times more foft and tender;or of another naturé and téxture,which 
things, ifI knew, I fhould much defire to be informed of) but from a 
curfory view that I at firft made with my Adcrofcope, and fome other 
trials] fappofed it to’be ome Animal fubftance caft out, andbfafttied up- 
on the’ Rocks in the form of a froth, or com#geries‘of bubbles, like that 
which:I have often obferv'd on Rofemary, and other Plants (wherein 
‘is included a little Infe@) that all the little films which: divide -thefe 
‘bubbles one from another, did prefently,almoft after the fabftance began 
‘to grow a little harder,break,and leave onely the thread behind, which 
‘might be, as ‘twere, the angle or thread between the bubbles, :thatthe 
“Sop e wi great 
