﻿582 
  

  

  SPONGIIDA. 
  

  

  BY 
  

  

  STUART 
  0. 
  ETDLEY. 
  

  

  The 
  collections 
  of 
  Sponges 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  Alert's 
  ' 
  

   voyage, 
  although 
  not 
  so 
  important 
  from 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  or 
  

   the 
  interest 
  attaching 
  to 
  the 
  new 
  forms 
  as 
  those 
  made 
  in 
  Aus- 
  

   tralian 
  waters, 
  constitute 
  nevertheless, 
  considering 
  the 
  extent 
  to 
  

   which 
  these 
  waters 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  previous 
  investigations 
  

   (see 
  Introduction 
  to 
  Melanesian 
  Report, 
  p. 
  371) 
  and 
  the 
  somewhat 
  

   less 
  favourable 
  circumstances 
  under 
  which 
  Dr. 
  Coppinger 
  carried 
  on 
  

   his 
  collecting, 
  an 
  invaluable 
  contribution 
  to 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  

   Spongiida 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  Ocean. 
  On 
  the 
  latter 
  point 
  Dr. 
  Coppinger, 
  

   in 
  a 
  letter 
  dated 
  Sheerness, 
  Sept. 
  11, 
  1882, 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  latter 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  ' 
  Alert's 
  ' 
  commission 
  has 
  been 
  devoted 
  to 
  a 
  hurried 
  survey 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  Amirante 
  Islands 
  and 
  of 
  two 
  other 
  small 
  groups 
  The 
  

  

  time 
  at 
  our 
  disposal 
  has 
  been 
  so 
  short 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  had 
  compara- 
  

   tively 
  few 
  opportunities 
  of 
  doing 
  anything 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  dredging. 
  

   What 
  little 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  localities 
  has 
  been 
  accomplished 
  

   from 
  the 
  ship 
  itself, 
  by 
  laying 
  out 
  a 
  dredge 
  from 
  the 
  stern 
  at 
  every 
  

   anchorage 
  and 
  giving 
  it 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  the 
  swing 
  of 
  the 
  ship. 
  At 
  

   Seychelles, 
  where 
  we 
  stopped 
  to 
  take 
  in 
  coals 
  &c., 
  we 
  dredged 
  several 
  

   times 
  from 
  the 
  boats 
  ; 
  but 
  at 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  stations 
  our 
  dredging- 
  

   operations 
  have 
  been 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  swing 
  of 
  the 
  ship 
  about 
  her 
  

   anchor. 
  I 
  mention 
  this 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  scantiness 
  of 
  the 
  collec-- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  dredged 
  specimens 
  from 
  a 
  region 
  whose 
  fauna 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  

   so 
  rich. 
  I 
  have, 
  however, 
  had 
  plenty 
  of 
  occupation 
  for 
  my 
  spare 
  

   time 
  in 
  exploring 
  the 
  beaches 
  and 
  reefs 
  at 
  times 
  of 
  low 
  water, 
  and 
  

   have 
  therefore 
  been 
  al)le 
  to 
  accumulate 
  a 
  good 
  number 
  of 
  marine 
  

   specimens 
  from 
  between 
  tide-marks," 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  difficulties, 
  Dr. 
  Cop- 
  

   pinger 
  sent 
  56 
  species 
  belonging 
  to 
  this 
  group, 
  including 
  21 
  species 
  

   not 
  previously 
  distinguished 
  by 
  naturalists. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  are 
  

   represented 
  by 
  fine 
  series 
  from 
  various 
  localities 
  : 
  and 
  fortunately 
  the 
  

   genus 
  Carterispongia, 
  hitherto 
  so 
  imperfectly 
  known, 
  comes 
  under 
  

   this 
  category, 
  furnishing 
  a 
  most 
  important 
  contribution 
  to 
  the 
  

   material 
  available 
  for 
  the 
  distinction 
  of 
  its 
  species, 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  study 
  

   of 
  the 
  interesting 
  question 
  of 
  polymorphism 
  of 
  Sponges, 
  so 
  well 
  

   illustrated 
  by 
  this 
  genus. 
  

  

  Distrihution. 
  — 
  This 
  is 
  perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  aspect 
  under 
  

   which 
  this 
  Collection 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  regarded, 
  I 
  have 
  arranged 
  the 
  localities 
  

   for 
  convenience 
  under 
  five 
  heads, 
  viz,: 
  — 
  1. 
  Mozambique 
  Island 
  (as 
  

  

  