58 Dr. J. S. Bowerbank on Mr. Carter's Paper 



VIII. — Observations on Mr. Carter^ s paper " On two new 

 Sponges from the Afitarctic Sea, and on a new Species of 

 Tethya from Shetland ; together with Observations on the 

 Reproduction of Sponges commencing from Zygosis of the 

 Sponge-animal" By J. S. BOWEKBANK, LL.D., F.R.S.,&c. 



Mr. Carter's frank and straightforward, though not very 

 courteous style of criticism, emboldens me to adopt a like 

 free-and-easy style in making a few observations on the sub- 

 jects of his paper published in the ' Annals and Magazine of 

 Natural History,' No. 54, June 1872. Let me ask him, then, 

 why he designates his proposed new genus Rossella, without 

 giving us the slightest idea of its generic characters, as the 

 author himself states, p. 415, " All that I have to offer re- 

 ^specting this sponge is the description of two forms of spi- 

 cules ;" and these organs are essentially specific characters. 

 If he had described these spicula without going to the extre- 

 mity of founding a new genus and species to account for them, 

 it would, I think, have been quite sufficient for all scientific 

 purposes. The term Rossella does not seem to be a happy one, 

 and would certainly have been perfectly incomprehensible 

 without his reference to Ross. In the first place we have 

 already two genera named Rossia, one of birds and one of mol- 

 lusca ; so that a third founded on the same name appears to be 

 rather superfluous ; and, as constructed by the author, it is 

 very possible that our French friends would understand the 

 genus, from its name, as having been founded in honour of 

 Rossel, the eminent communist who was summarily disposed 

 of some time since by the milit ary tribunals of Paris. 



Tethya antarctica, Carter. 



The specific characters of the sponge (upon which its whole 

 history, both actual and imaginary, is based) are given from 

 a single specimen of a gemmule apparently somewhat dis- 

 torted ; but this distortion gives the author an imaginary basal 

 anchoring character, which, however, is quite a new habit 

 among the Tethece in their adult and natural condition. The 

 supposed new species is illustrated in a diagrammatic series of 

 dots and lines, which may afibrd effective recollections to the 

 author, but will certainly serve any other purpose rather than 

 that of leading future students to the identification of the 

 species, which, I have a strong idea, is, in reality, Tethea 

 simillima, from the South Sea, in the museum of the lloyal 

 College of Surgeons, and registered in the catalogue of 

 "Contents of the Museum," part i. 1860, p. 128, B. 176, 

 " from Tongatabue ;" and he will see, in the last paragraph, 



