Dr. J. E. Gray on Euplectella speciosa. 489 
Professor Owen, from the manner he quotes Aleyoncellum gela- 
tinosum of De Blainville and A. speciosum of Quoy and Gaimard, 
evidently considers that they are synonyms of the same species 
instead of two genera belonging to different families of sponges. 
He gave a new name to the genus because the specimen figured 
by Quoy and Gaimard had neither a netted lid to the tube nor 
fringes; but this only arose from the imperfect state of their 
specimen ; the new name, however, was required in consequence 
of their mistake in referring it to the genus Alcyoncellum of 
De Blainville. 
Dr. Bowerbank, in the ‘ Introduction to the British Sponges,’ 
which is chiefly a reprint of his papers in the ‘ Philosophical 
Transactions,’ makes some observations on this beautiful sponge, 
and is very severe on Professor Owen, accusing him of a mis- 
take he did not make, because he called the widest part of a 
cone its base. As usual, when he leaves his microscope and 
goes to the book, he is in confusion. He at once sets aside 
Professor Owen’s generic name, and adopts that used by MM. 
Quoy and Gaimard; but it is easy to see how this mistake 
arose. In consulting their work he entirely overlooked the 
generic character quoted from De Blainville. He evidently does 
not know, or at least quote, the ‘Manuel’ of M. de Blainville; 
nor does he recognize the figure of the sponge on which the 
genus Alcyoncellum is established, either under the name of 
Euplectella or Grantia. Dr. Bowerbank quotes the generic cha- 
racter of Alcyoncellum given in Lamarck as “the generic de- 
scription of Quoy and Gaimard.” He gives, as the type of the 
genus Huplectella, “ EH. corbicula, Quoy and Gaimard,” a name 
not to be found in their work; he goes on to regard E. corbicula 
and H. speciosa as two species, and he thinks that Huplec- 
tella is a parasitic sponge, and clings to other marine bodies. 
But it is useless to continue to quote “the singular number of 
errors into which he has fallen in the description of this beautiful 
sponge,” as he says of Professor Owen. 
A crab is generally found in the cavity of the sponges. The 
Spaniards in Manilla regard them as formed by the crabs for 
their protection, and they do not consider the specimens perfect 
unless a crab is contained therein. I have, within the last few 
days, had a pair offered to me for an extravagant sum (£200), 
because they contained the crab that formed them. The crab 
must take up its place in the tube before the network in the 
upper end of it is formed, as, when that part is added, it 
becomes imprisoned in the tube. 
