342 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Dec, 



Spores and elaters of Marchantia polymorpha, 120. 

 Spores and scales of Acrostichum alicome, 40. 

 Ceramium acanthonotum (sea weed), 40. 

 Callethauinion (Tetraspores in swollen raniule), 40. 

 Micrasterias lobata (desmid), 120. 

 Hair of Ornithoryuchus, 120. 



Speciinetis from sea life. 



Laguncula repsns (colony) Polyozoa, 40. 



Cauipanularia (colony), 40. 



Anguinaria spatulata, Polyozoa. 



Spines and pedicellaria of star fish, 4 species in 4 prints, 40. 



Histological specimens. 



Injected small intestine of Hedge hog, 40. 

 Longitudinal section of child's tongue (injected), 40. 

 Blood vesstls in the brain of a Hare, 40. 

 Section of human scalp (injected), 40. 



Something About Sponges. 



By a. CHOPIN, 



MANCHESTER. 



The history of the sponji;e is a very peculiar one ; for centuries 

 a controversy raged between zoologists and botanists, both 

 claiming it for their respective kingdoms, the sponges then 

 holding the position now occupied by our favorite Volvox. We 

 first hear of them scientifically about 330 b. c, when Aristotle, 

 in some of his writings spoke of them as animals endowed to a 

 certain extent with the senses of hearing and seeing. In others 

 of his works he considers them as vegetables, but seems to con- 

 clude that they belong to both animal and vegetable kingdoms, 

 and are animnl-plants. Some 400 years later, Pliny class d them 

 as iinimals, and even spoke of them as having sensi >le life, and 

 that they possess blood. He also tells us of some writers who 

 can distinguish them as males and females. From the time of 

 PUny to the middle of the 18th century botanists seem to have 

 had the pull of the rope, Gerarde, Ray and Marsigli amongst 

 them would not hear of the sponges being animals, although the 

 latter saw (1710) contraction and dilatation of the oscula of some 

 sponges. Linne, in 1770, classified them amongst the Cryptoga- 

 mous algce. About this time Trembly, Ellis and others took up 



