286 Scientific Notices. 



paper, "On the Nature and Formation of Sponges." Phil. Trans, 

 vol. Iv. p. 280. 



After some introductory remarks, adverting to the opinions of 

 the ancients and of Count Marsigli on the nature of Sponges, Mr. 

 Ellis proceeds to quote and controvert Dr. Peysonell's account 

 of the formation of them by " little animals, that walk to aud fro 

 in the labyrinth of the tubes to construct his extraordinary animal 

 fabric." In the course of his statement he gives some observations 

 made by himself and Dr. Solander, at Brighthelmstone, on the 

 Spongia medullam panis referens, or Crumb of Bread SpoDge, and 

 then proceeds as follows : " After this, we proceeded along the sea 

 coast to Little Hampton, near Arundel, on the coast of Sussex, 

 where we took up out of the sea several specimens of the same sort 

 of Sponge full of an orange-coloured gelatinous matter; and, while 

 they were just fresh from the sea, we examined them (after they 

 had rested for some time) in glasses of sea-water ; and to our great 

 surprise, instead of seeing any of the polype-like suckers, or any 

 minute animal figure, come out of the papilla?, or small holes with 

 which they are surrounded, we only observed these holes to con- 

 tract and dilate themselves. And as a further confirmation of this 

 motion, being at Hastings, in Sussex, in August, 1764, in com- 

 pany with Dr. Gowin Knight, F.R.S. we collected from the rocks 

 at ebb-tide, just under water, a variety of the same kind of 

 Sponge, but of a pale yellow colour, and in the form of several 

 cocks-combs united together, the tops of which were full of 

 tubular cavities or papillae : when we examined these in glasses of 

 sea-water, we could plainly observe these little tubes to receive 

 and pass the water to and fro ; so that the Sponge is an animal 

 sui generis, Avhose mouths are so many holes or ends of branched 

 tubes opening on its surface ; with these it receives its nourish- 

 ment, and by these it discharges, like the polypes, its excre- 

 ments. 



" But, to give a further proof of Sponges sucking in and throw- 

 ing out the sea-water, I shall quote a passage from that fair in- 

 vestigator of nature, the celebrated Count Marsigli, in his Ilistoire 

 Physique de la Mer, p. 53, who, notwithstanding he took them for 



