24 Mr. II. J. Carter on. the Anatomy 



although from the polymorphic nature of the body it seems 

 also not impossible that, on impinging upon its surface, it 

 might be incepted after the manner of Amceba ; but from what 

 part of the spongozoon it is ejected remains to be discovered. 



To describe the organ into which the colouring-matter 

 first passes as a " sac " might appear objectionable, as, in its 

 active living state, there is nothing but the globular form and 

 sphinctral opening to support this view ; but if we recur 

 to the contents of the seed- like body (winter-egg or statoblast) 

 of fcpongilla, it will be found that they consist of a number 

 of " spherical cells " respectively charged Avith germiniferous 

 bodies, each cell of which with its contents, as the young 

 Spongilla grows out of the hiliform opening of the seed-like 

 body, becomes developed into an ampullaceous sac, when the 

 spherical cell ceases to be demonstrable, from the commence- 

 ment being so subtle in nature that, on placing a portion of 

 the contents of the dried seed-like body in water, it is rapidly 

 distended by imbibition, bursts, and disappears. Thus it 

 may be assumed that there is a subtle film which holds the 

 spongozoa together in the living Spongilla, just as the spherical 

 cell contains the germs from which the spongozoa are developed 

 in the seed-like body ; and so far we are warranted in using the 

 word " sac." That this cell in the dried seed-like body might 

 pass into a living plastic state is confirmed by the germinating 

 of the rest of the substance itself of the seed-like body, which 

 was equally dry, returning to this state — to say nothing of 

 the entire sponges which, on the walls of the tanks of Bombay, 

 return to life at the commencement of the " rains," after having 

 been exposed above water for several months to the scorching 

 heat of a tropical sun. The body-substance of a dried Geodia, 

 which I picked up on the southern shores of Arabia, manifested 

 polymorphism on being moistened with water several months 

 afterwards. But all who are acquainted with the habits of 

 the Infusoria &c. are familiar with this phenomenon. 



It should also be remembered that the sarcode and all its 

 soft contents Avhen living are more or less polymorphic, and 

 that therefore at one time they may present one form, and at 

 another another. 



Thus the spongozoon among the rest, when observed imme- 

 diately after the Grantia compressa has been torn to pieces for 

 microscopical examination, resembles that above delineated ; 

 but after a short interval it may be seen to be moving about 

 the field in the form of an Amoeba, as before noticed, and with 

 or without the cilium, thus totally unlike the original form. 



Indeed this power of polymorphism may enable the spongo- 

 zoon to assume so many phases that it would be absurd to 



