Mr. A. Hancock on the Excavating Sponges. 355 



where been tamed, and so as to form the stock now living of 

 any tame race, has not perhaps through any comparisons been 

 fully shown; but Prof. Owen supposes that the small-grown, 

 small-horned, often hornless cattle in Wales and in the High- 

 lands of Scotland descended from that race which he considers 

 was tamed before the invasion of the Romans, by the original 

 inhabitants; when, on the conquest of the country, they fled 

 with their herds to the woody mountain-tracts. If it exists 

 among us in any tame race of cattle, it would seem to be in the 

 so-called Finn cattle. 



The forehead more broad than long, convex : the horns set 

 on anterior to the ridge which separates the forehead from the 

 occiput. The intermaxillary bones never reach up as far as 

 the nasal bones. 



XXXVIII. — Observations on Mr. Morris's jo«j9^r on the Excava- 

 ting Sponges. By Albany Hancock, Esq. 



To Richard Taylor, Esq. 



Dear Sir, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Oct. 15, 1849. 



I HAD much pleasure on reading in the last Number of the 

 'Annals,' Mr. Morris's abstract of the papers published by 

 Dr. Nardo and M. Michelin on the Excavating Sponges, and 

 am only sorry that I was not aware of the investigations of these 

 naturalists at the time I drew up my own observations on the 

 subject. The access to scientific works in the country is very 

 limited, and those referred to by Mr. Morris I have had no op- 

 portunity of seeing. 



When, in my paper read at the Swansea Meeting of the Bri- 

 tish Association, I first stated my belief that Cliona excavated 

 the chambers it inhabits, the assertion met with such general 

 opposition, that I must confess I am now somewhat surprised on 

 being infoi'med that this subject had been so fully discussed 

 some years ago ; so far at least as relates to the question whether 

 or not these sponges make the holes in which they are found 

 concealed. Indeed it seems strange that there should ever have 

 been two opinions on this point ; for after the attention has once 

 been called to it, a single specimen, in good condition, is suffi- 

 cient to convince the inquirer that Cliona does really form its 

 complicated habitation. This appeared to me so evident on ex- 

 amining the first specimens I procured, that had this fact not 

 been disputed by naturalists of great eminence, I should never 

 have thought it necessary to have dwelt so long on it. At that 

 time I should have had great pleasure in quoting Nardo or Mi- 

 chelin in confirmation of this part of the argument, which was 



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