Skeleton of Euplectella aspergillum. 45 



of EuphcteUa (li-edged by him off Cape St. Vincent shonld be 

 uniformly in the condition indicated by tlie soft part of our 

 sponge. His remarks are as follows : — 



" Several samples of Euplectella^ very closely allied to the 

 Philippine species, if not identical with it, came up in the 

 trawl off Cape St. Vincent, and gave us an opportunity for 

 the first time of seeing this sponge alive. Dr. J. E. Gray 

 writes to the ' Annals and Magazine of Natural History ' that 

 specimens have been received of Euplectella aspergillum in 

 spirit, and that in these the glassy framework is entirely 

 masked by a soft, brown, corky coating of sarcode. Our fresh 

 specimens entirely bear out Dr. Gray's description. It would 

 be difficult to imagine that the thick, somewhat clumsy brown 

 tube, perforated with irregular openings, contained any ar- 

 rangement of support so delicate and symmetrical. 



" Although the forms of all the spicules, down to the most mi- 

 nute and complicated, are identical, the wall of the tube in the 

 European specimens of Euplectella is not coherent as in most 

 of the Philippine examples. The original spicules of the ske- 

 leton remain separate from one another, and do not become 

 soldered together. One would think that this would be at all 

 events a perfect specific distinction ; but one or two of the 

 specimens of Euplectella aspergillum^ particularly one in the 

 Museum at Liverpool, are in this condition ; and I am not yet 

 prepared to say whether all may not be thus soft at a parti- 

 cular stage of growth." 



Mr. Higgin is well known in Liverpool for his great success 

 in micro-photography. He has for some months been earnestly 

 engaged in the study of sponges, and has kindly given this 

 museum the benefit of his assistance in working up the tole- 

 rably numerous specimens already got together. It is a great 

 pleasure and satisfaction to announce a new and zealous 

 worker in a department of zoology so little cultivated, and in 

 which there is so much work to be done. — T. J. Moore.] 



Huyton, November 15, 1873. 



]\[y dear Mr. Moore, 



The Eujilectella which you have placed in my hands for 

 examination is a very interesting and valuable specimen ; for 

 it reveals the composition of the network of these beautiful 

 sponges, which I believe has not hitherto been exactly knoAvn. 



Your sponge is rigid only to the extent of a few inches from 

 the base, and is flexible tlmnighout the rest of the tube. The 

 cause of rigidity in Euplectella is the enclosure within a sili- 

 cious coating of the spicules which form the fibres, which 

 coating, for convenience' sake, has been called vitreous. This 



