COIIBITELLA AND HETEROTELLA. O 



The type, preserved in the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, 

 Jardin des Plantes, is to be considered as the only specimen known 

 of this species. It is known that the specimen was given to Quoy 

 and Gaimard by M. Merküs, the governor of the Moluccas, and 

 in accord therewith the label attached to it bears the record : 

 " des Moluques : Mm. Quoy et Gaimard. Exp™ D'Urville. 

 1829." W. Thomson's ('68, p. 132) statement that the specimen 

 is labelled to quite another effect is clearly an error. The 

 labelling quoted by him belongs, as was suggested by Gray ('68, 

 p. 173), to a different sponge (specimen A of Heterotella corbicula, 

 which shall be treated further on). 



The figures of the specimen, prepared after a photograph 

 and given by both Gray ('67) and W. Thomson ('68), are 

 excellent and well fitted to give a correct idea of its general 

 appearance. Quoy and Gaimard's figure of the same, as well 

 as that to be seen in Filhol's ('85) work, are not entirely 

 satisfactory. 



Besides the original describers, Bowerbank ('67, pp. 358-359) 

 and W. Thomson (/. c.) have both given us accounts of the speci- 

 men from independent observations. Singularly enough, Bower- 

 bank at the time was somehow not cognizant of the fact that he 

 had to deal with Quoy and Gaimard's type of " Alcyoncellum 

 speeiosum " ; for, while calling by that old name the Philippine 

 Euplectella aspergillum Owen, the very type of Quoy and Gaimard 

 was laid down by him as representing a different species of the 

 same genus. 



Although I have but little to add to the existing descrip- 

 tions of the general appearance of the specimen, I may be 

 allowed to give here my own notes in full. 



The specimen may be said to consist of little besides the 



