374 Dr. J. E. Gray on Hyalonema Schultzei. 



Schultzei spread over tKe surface of the barrel-shaped body of 

 the sponge, and do not form a conical pencil like that which 

 is inserted into one of the sides of the cup-like sponge that is 

 sometimes parasitic on the tip of the Hyalonema from Japan. 



The body of H. Schultzei is somewhat like in form, and 

 resembles in texture, the body of Euplectella cucumer of Prof. 

 Owen. Indeed H. Schultzei of the Philippines seems to differ 

 chiefly from Eujilectella from the same country in the long 

 spicules with the recurved spines and cup-like anchor termi- 

 nation being directed from the body, as if they formed a stem 

 by which it was anchored in the mud or sand, instead of 

 being bent upwards towards the upper part of the tubular 

 sponge, forming a rufl* or fringe round its body, as they are 

 generally seen in the more perfect specimens received from the 

 Island of Zebu. 



We are very imperfectly informed how the Euplectella as- 

 pergillum is attached to the bottom of the sea in which it 

 grows. Most specimens from Zebu have a greater or less 

 quantity of dry mud enclosed in a large number of small 

 fibres at the base, as in Prof. Owen's plate (Linn. Trans, xxii. 

 t. 21. f. 1), looking as if the sponge had grown with a small, 

 more or less expanded, circular disk, formed of the spicules, on 

 the mud, which with some mud is artificially moulded by the 

 collectors into the form in which we generally receive them ; 

 but this disk seems a very small and insecure means of attach- 

 ment at the bottom of the sea, however quiet the water in 

 which they live may generally be. 



Prof. Owen, when describing Eu]}lecteTla cucumer (Linn. 

 Trans, xxii.), observes that the specimen had fortunately been 

 preserved along with the foreign bodies to which it was at- 

 tached by the terminal filaments ; such a mode of attach- 

 ment may now, therefore, be added to the generic charac- 

 ters of Eujplectella as defined I. c. p. 117. On the plate is 

 figured the " foreign sponge and other bodies to which it is 

 attached " (p. 123) 5 and in the figure some of the long '^ barbed 

 filaments with their terminal anchors " at the base of the 

 barrel-shaped body of the sponge are bent up like those seen 

 on the specimen of E. asjoe^y ilium from the Philippines, while 

 others bend down so as partly to cover the mass of foreign 

 bodies above referred to, to which it is attached. 



Since I have read Dr. Semper's paper, and have discovered 

 that Hyalonema lives with its siliceous spicules sunk like 

 roots in the sand or mud, it has occurred to me whether Eu- 

 plectella may not use the elongated, barbed and anchor-ended 

 spicules sunk in the sand for the same purpose, or that they 

 may surround a mass of foreign bodies, Uke those figured as at- 



