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THE ANNALS 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



[FOURTH 3ERIES.] 

 No. 26. FEBRUARY 1870. 



X. — Note on the Sponges Grayella, Osculina, and Cliona. 

 By H. J. Carter, F.R.S. &c. 



At the suggestion of my kind friend Dr. J. E. Gray I have 

 examined Schmidt's OscuUaa polystomtlla and some living 

 species of Cliona, for the purpose of ascertaining how far 

 these sponges were allied to Grayella cyathopJiora (which I 

 described and figured in the ' Annals,' ser. 4. vol. iv. p. 189, 

 Sept. 1869), with the following results. 



And first as regards Osculina polystomeUa (Schmidt's 

 ' Sponges from Algiers,' 1868, second Suppl. to ' Sponges of the 

 Adriatic Sea,' 1862, pi. 1. figs. 1-13), it must be ])remised that 

 this sponge was examined by the able author after preserva- 

 tion in spirit, and that Lacaze-Duthiers, who contributed the 

 specimen, furnished also figs. 1-8 of the illustrations. 



At first sight of the plate, one is inclined to say that this 

 sponge is closely allied to Grayella, except that fig. 1, Aviiich 

 is stated to represent its natural size, far exceeds Grayella 

 cyathophnra in the dimensions of its papillary elevations. 

 Lacaze-Duthiers's fig. 2 would represent the mammillifomi 

 vent, and figs. 3-7 the papilliform sieve-like orifices of the 

 inhalant area, together with (fig. 8) their sai'codal columns 

 and projecting spicules, in both Grayella and Osculina. But 

 when we come to Schmidt's description, then also comes a 

 discrepancy, viz. that all these papilliform figures are stated 

 to be excuiTcnt orifices ; and the only example of an incurrent 

 or inhalant set is that in Schmidt's fig. 11, where a few little 

 apertures are situated on one side of the disk of a papilla 

 marginated, but apparently unfringed, from contraction at or 

 after death. 



It seems very probable to me, after the examination of 

 Cliona northumhrica, Hancock, which I have just made (for 



Ann.dc Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 4. Vol. v. 6 



