On the Systematic Position of the Pronghorn. 401 



etrolte, et delkil s'etend sans aucune interruption jusqu'aux § ou 

 les § cle la longueur totale. Les polypes places sur I'extremite 

 de I'axis sont les plus petits de tous (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865^ 

 p. 663, and 1864, t. 22. fig. 2)." This misunderstanding of the 

 passage quoted by Dr. Gray tends more than ever to confuse our 

 ideas on the subject, whether we consider Hyalonema a coral, 

 a zoanthoid polype, or a sponge. M. Barboza du Bocage cer- 

 tainly does not mean in the passage to infer that the thin end of 

 the column covered with protuberances was the basal end, and 

 was accordingly originally immersed in the basal spongious 

 mass. 



Dr. Gray has been pleased to say of my recently published 

 Monograph of the British Sponges, "But all the descriptions 

 of this work are so indistinct and crowded with technicalities 

 peculiar to the author, that they are very difficult to understand, 

 and render a new examination of the species and a new work on 

 the subject requisite." I regret that I cannot furnish the 

 learned author with any means of comprehending my descrip- 

 tions except those contained in my volumes ; but it is consola- 

 tory to know that there are other naturalists who can do so. 

 No one has advocated the necessity of every newly discovered 

 animal having a definite name more strongly than Dr. Gray ; 

 but that which is applicable to the whole animal does not, in 

 his opinion, seem equally so to its parts. On this question I 

 must beg leave to differ from him. I found a great portion of 

 the British Sponges were new to our Fauna, and nearly all of 

 their parts without names by which to designate and describe 

 them. I was therefore compelled to name and describe both 

 the component parts and the species ; and whether I have or 

 have not succeeded in employing suitable designations, I can 

 assure the author of the paper that I should hail the accom- 

 plishment of a similar work to mine, exhibiting a greater 

 amount of talent and research, with unfeigned pleasure, for the 

 sake of the advancement of a branch of natural history the 

 study of which has afforded me many years of pleasure and 

 satisfaction. 



LI. — On the Systematic Position of the Pronghorn (Antilocapra 

 americana). By V. L. Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S,, Secre- 

 tary to the Zoological Society of London*. 



The author stated that his chief object in the present commu- 

 nication was to bring into more prominent notice a very impor- 



* Abstract of a paper read before the British Association, Section D., 

 Aug. 23, 1866. Communicated by the Author. 



