Miscellaneous. 303 



standing at regular distances iqjart, one or two of which give off 

 lateral branchlets, springing at an acute angle in the same plane, 

 also directed upwards and terminating in a capillary form. Pores 

 and oscula and the internal canal-system are deficient. Length of 

 a lined worm-tube 78 millims. ; breadth of the freely projecting 

 portion of the sponge 11 millims. ; height of the longest upright 

 branch 15 millims. 



Locality. Viti Islands (Dr. Griiffe), Narcon Island (Capt. Ross). 

 Of this peculiar sponge, five specimens from the Godeffroy Mu- 

 seum in Hamburg, sent by *Dv. Griiffe from the Viti Islands, were 

 investigated. In external habit the regular fan-like ramification of 

 the free ])art is remarkable, whilst the basal part lines the inner 

 surface of the tube of a Cha?tophorous Annelide. It is not im- 

 probable that the form of the sponge may vary with a change in 

 its point of attachment ; as a settler in the worm-tube or as the 

 commensal of a worm, however, the form may probably be con- 

 stant. 



In all parts of the fan-like portion the sponge-tissue encloses very 

 numerous foreign , bodies, but only a few in the portion lining the 

 tube. Beside very numerous Diatoms imbedded between the layers 

 of the tissue, the foreign bodies are elongated structures, many 

 plant-cells, probably from the hairs of plants, usually with calcified 

 or silicified cell-membranes, more rarely sjncula of corals, fine 

 Echinus-sT^mes, Annehd-bristles, and a great manj' sponge-spicules, 

 of which most, if not all, do not belong to this s[)onge. All these 

 substances are completely and closely embraced by the sponge- 

 substance. The sponge would thus be a horny sponge or a Chali- 

 nean. 



As neither oscula nor pores are detected on the surfaces of the 

 sponge, nor any cavities in the interior of its substance, and there- 

 fore, beside an " ylporia" and an ^'Astomia" (Osc. Schmidt), an 

 '^ Acoelia'' exists in it, the sponge acquires great significance in the 

 settlement of the question whether the Sponges are to be referred 

 to the Coelenterata. For unless we regard the lumen of the worm- 

 tube as the body-cavity of the sponge, and the whole structure, 

 therefore, as a monozoic creature, the want of other cavities in the 

 body would prevent the sponge from taldng its place in the group 

 of the Coelenterata as usually conceived, but woidd much rather 

 make it appear to be a Protistan, so far as we can form a judgment 

 from the materials at present available. 



It may be remarked further that the whole structure has been 

 described and figured by Baird as TereheUa Jlabclhini (" On new 

 Tubicolous Annelides in the Collection of the British Museum," 

 Part. 2, Joura. Linn. Soc. Zool. 18G5, vol. viii. p. 157, pi. 5. fig. 1). 

 Two specimens in the collection of the British Museum were brought 

 from Narcon Island by the Antarctic Expedition under Sir James 

 Clarke Ross. — Sitzungsber. i)]iys.-med. Socieiiit zu Erlanyen, Feb. 

 20, 1871. 



