﻿74 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  Dendy 
  on 
  Sponges 
  from 
  

  

  to 
  the 
  material 
  at 
  my 
  disposal. 
  To 
  illustrate 
  the 
  Report 
  

   fully 
  eight 
  or 
  ten 
  quarto 
  plates 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  required, 
  and 
  

   I 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  make 
  arrangements 
  for 
  obtaining 
  these 
  before 
  

   leaving 
  England. 
  I 
  have 
  therefore 
  thought 
  it 
  best, 
  in 
  prefer- 
  

   ence 
  to 
  delaying 
  any 
  longer, 
  to 
  publish 
  fall 
  descriptions 
  of 
  

   the 
  species 
  in 
  this 
  place, 
  together 
  with 
  such 
  illustrations 
  as 
  

   were 
  practicable 
  under 
  the 
  circumstances. 
  

  

  The 
  pieces 
  preserved 
  in 
  spirit 
  proved 
  of 
  very 
  great 
  service 
  

   and 
  enabled 
  me 
  to 
  investigate 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent 
  the 
  minute 
  

   anatomy 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  and 
  especially 
  of 
  

   Spongionella 
  nigra, 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  

   quite 
  impossible 
  without 
  spirit-preserved 
  material 
  to 
  determine 
  

   the 
  true 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  sponge. 
  I 
  hope 
  that 
  I 
  may 
  be 
  able 
  

   to 
  make 
  fuller 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  spirit-preserved 
  material 
  for 
  anato- 
  

   mical 
  investigation 
  at 
  a 
  later 
  date. 
  

  

  The 
  collection 
  comprises 
  twenty- 
  four 
  determinable 
  species, 
  

   of 
  which 
  fourteen 
  are 
  new 
  to 
  science 
  and 
  two 
  are 
  represented 
  

   by 
  new 
  varieties. 
  Of 
  the 
  twenty-four 
  species 
  one 
  belongs 
  to 
  

   the 
  Tetractinellida, 
  nineteen 
  to 
  the 
  Monaxonida, 
  and 
  four 
  to 
  

   the 
  Ceratosa, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  also 
  an 
  undeterminable 
  species 
  of 
  

   Hircinia. 
  

  

  Amongst 
  the 
  old 
  species 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  forms 
  of 
  very 
  

   great 
  interest, 
  chief 
  amongst 
  them 
  being 
  Axinella 
  tubulata, 
  a 
  

   sponge 
  hitherto 
  scarcely 
  known 
  at 
  all 
  and 
  whose 
  peculiar 
  

   characters, 
  which 
  were 
  most 
  curiously 
  misunderstood 
  by 
  

   Dr. 
  Bowerbank, 
  are 
  here 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   a 
  commensal 
  tubicolous 
  Annelid. 
  Amongst 
  the 
  new 
  species 
  

   the 
  most 
  important 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  Spongionella 
  nigra, 
  of 
  

   which 
  I 
  give 
  a 
  full 
  account 
  later 
  on. 
  

  

  The 
  colours 
  of 
  the 
  sponges 
  in 
  life 
  were, 
  as 
  usual, 
  very 
  

   varied 
  and 
  brilliant. 
  Judging 
  from 
  what 
  Mr. 
  Bracebridge 
  

   "Wilson, 
  who 
  has 
  had 
  great 
  experience 
  in 
  dredging 
  sponges 
  

   in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  Port 
  Phillip, 
  tells 
  me, 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  

   to 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  colours 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  sponges 
  will 
  be 
  

   found 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  great 
  service 
  in 
  distinguishing 
  the 
  species. 
  

   Some 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  brilliance 
  and 
  variety 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  

   colouring 
  may 
  be 
  gained 
  from 
  the 
  following 
  complete 
  list 
  of 
  

   the 
  species 
  in 
  Mr. 
  Thurston's 
  second 
  collection. 
  

  

  Tetractinellida. 
  

   Tetiila 
  hirsuta, 
  n. 
  sp. 
  (No 
  colour 
  recorded.) 
  

  

  Monaxonida. 
  

  

  Petrosia 
  testudinaria, 
  Lamarck, 
  sp. 
  Pink. 
  

   Jteniera 
  madrepora, 
  n. 
  sp. 
  (No 
  colour 
  recorded.) 
  

  

  