48 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [February, 



Branford deposit, all from one place. I have reason to believe 

 this deposit quite extensive, as Branford river is an inlet of con- 

 siderable extent. The Stony creek deposit has also been only 

 slightly examined, for the same reason. 



The home-made boring apparatus I use in searching for fresh- 

 water fossil deposits arountl home is too unwieldy to carry on 

 expeditions of from thirty to fifty miles, and is, besides, incapable 

 of reaching the required depth. Digging in these marshes is 

 difficult under ordinary circumstances, as the investigator is 

 driven ofl' every few hours by the advancing tide. 



Only a portion of the species found in my explorations have 

 been mentioned in these articles. I wait for the publication of 

 special monographs by recognized authorities, and also the result 

 of future investigation. 



Has tlie Fresh- Water Sponge a Nervous System? 



By J. M. STEDMAN. 



TRINITY UNIVEIISITY, DUKHAM, N. C. 



Recently I collected a few branches of Spoftgilla lacustris and 

 placed them in alcohol. Later, I sectioned portions of a branch 

 for histological study, and to my surprise discovered what I take 

 to be a nervous system. It consists of cells which have a more 

 or less thick spindle or star-shape, terminating in one or more — 

 rarely four — long thread-like processes, usually at each end, which 

 unite with the other cells directly or extend for a considerable 

 distance before so doing. The protoplasm is granular and the 

 nucleus large and prominent. These cells group themselves 

 together to form a thread which extends the entire length of the 

 sponge and branches to enter the filaments as they branch, rarely 

 doing so in the same stem. The cells apply themselves together 

 so as to overlap one another and form with their processes a solid 

 thread which contains no other kind of cells. In some respects 

 these cells resemble the neuro-muscular cells of the hydra, but it 

 is not probable that they serve the two functions here, since if 

 they did have the power of contracting they would be prevented 

 from so doing on account of the fact that the filaments are pro- 

 vided with so large a number of spicules that they cannot be 

 contracted. From the structure, nature, position, and arrange- 

 ment or grouping of the cells there seems to be little doubt that 

 their function is that of a nervous system. 



This sponge is extremely common in many lakes and streams 

 in the Adirondack mountains, and in places completely covers 

 the submerged trees and rocks and sends out its thousands of 

 long, slender branches to the length of a foot or more. 



Antiseptic. — Essence of cinnamon is a powerful destroyer of 

 all kinds of disease germs. Experiments have been conducted in 

 Pasteur's laborator\' to this effect. 



