124 A MONOGRAPH OF THE AUSTRALIAN SPONGES, 



The earliest writings of the present ei-a are those of Wotton (9) 

 (1552), and Belon (10) (1553), Both of these copied Aristoteles' 

 writings. I will not ti-ouble the reader with a list of the names, 

 the bearers of which wrote on Sponges at the end of the sixteenth 

 and beginning of the seventeenth Century, some declaring them to 

 be animals, others to be plants, and others again taking them for 

 concentrated spray (Gerarde (11) (1633). There is a great 

 similarity between Aphrodite and a sponge ! 



Of greater interest to us appears an essay of Nieremberg (12) 

 (1635), in which for the first time we find an Australian Sponge 

 mentioned. He says that the Hindoos call an Australian Sponge 

 Amacpalli : " Amacpalli seu manum coccineam appellant Indi 

 quoddam Spongiae marinae genus in Australi pelago." 



In Ray's (13) (1686) works, we find eight species of sponges 

 described, which together with some Corals (Alcyonium), are 

 placed among the fungi as " Plantae imperfectae." At that time 

 the sponges were considered as plants, and we find several authors 

 placing them in the vegetable kingdom. 



One of these authors, Tournefort (14), describes the sponges 

 with the following diagnosis : " Herba? marina? aut fluviatiles, 

 quarum flores et fructus vulgo ignorantur." Also the famous 

 Anthony von Leeuwenhoek (15), appears to have held similar 

 opinions. Carl von Linne (16), shared at first the error of his 

 contemporaries, and described the sponges as Cryptogamic plants. 



(9). E. Wotton. De differentiis animalium. Liber, X.. Parish, 1552. 



(10). P. Belon. De Jgustibus. Liber II. Parisii, 1553. 



(11). T. < Jerarde. The 11, rbaU. London, 1633. 



(12). T. E. Nieremberg. Historia Natures. Antverpice, 1635. Liber XIII. 

 Cap. XXXIL, p. 292. 



(13). T. Ray. Historiaplantarum~Loiidhu, 16S6, 1693, 1701, and Synopsis 

 meth. stirp. Britann. Londini, 1690. 



(14). T. P. Tournefort. Tnstitutiones rei herb. Vol. I. Parisiis, 1700. 



(15). A. von Leeuwenboek. Microscopical observatio?is. Philosopbical 

 Transactions. XXIV. (1706), p. 2158. 



(16). Carl von Linne\ Mora Lapponica, Amstelajdami, 1737, and 

 Hortus Cliffort. Amstelsedami, 1737. 



