THE COMMERCIAL SPONGES AND THE SPONGE FISHERIES. 413 
Other localities —Sheepswool sponges are taken to a limited extent com- 
mercially, or are known zoologically, in Honduras, at the island of Gonaves, 
Haiti, and at other placesinthe Caribbean. In the Philippine Journal of Science 
Seal describes a wool sponge from the Philippine Islands. The specimen he 
exhibited to me had the appearance of a Bahama sheepswool, and had been 
used for bath purposes. It is not unlikely that it was imported and not 
indigenous. 
YELLOW SPONGES. 
Under this name are known sponges of several zoological species and 
varieties, some of which receive also other commercial names, according to 
quality, size, and locality. Though differing much in details and special quali- 
ties, the yellow sponges have these characters in common: They are highly 
elastic and resilient, more so than any other American sponges with the possible 
exception of the Anclote grass, but they are harder than the wool sponges, less 
absorbent, and drain more freely. They are regular in shape, attractive in 
appearance, and grow to a diameter of about 18 inches, though this size is not 
common. ‘Thecolor isa rich yellow or yellowish brown, in some localities tinged 
with rust red or chestnut. The surface is never furnished with the long fibrous 
filaments characteristic of the sheepswool, but is covered with a nap of short 
hairs of uniform length and lying in a uniform plane. ‘Though less durable than 
either the sheepswool or the velvet sponges, the yellow sponges are excellent for 
many purposes in the arts, and when bleached make attractive and soft, cheap 
bath sponges. 
In the living condition they have smoother surfaces than the sheepswool, 
and are very dark brown on top, becoming yellower on the sides. The pseud- 
oscula, vents, or ‘‘eyes’’ are in some varieties situated on the summits of low, 
rounded cones and in others lie in the general level of the upper surface. They 
are never surrounded by circles of fimbriated tufts as in the sheepswool, or com- 
pounded as in the velvet sponge. They are generally large and conspicuous. 
The commercial varieties of yellow sponges are as follows: 
Florida Key yellow (pl. XxXvul, XXXVI, and Xxx1x).—This is the finest grade 
of yellow sponge, being softer and more durable than the Anclote yellow or the 
foreign varieties. The best come from the vicinity of Matecumbe Keys, where the 
common species is Hippospongia equina elastica Lendenfeld. ‘This species is 
massive, cake-shaped, or, commonly, in the form of truncated cones attached by a 
narrow base. The lamellae form a network lying in a uniform surface, are usually 
more or less thickened at their free edges and inclose numerous more or less uniform 
polygonal, circular, or meandering orifices. The surface of the skeleton is more 
continuous than in most of the other American sponges. The vents or ‘‘eyes” 
usually lie in the general level of the upper surface, but are sometimes, especially 
