70 Mr. W. Saville Kent on the Foraminiferal 



an attach^ to the natural-history departments of the British 

 Museum, Mr. Carter was kind enough to present me with 

 an admirably prepared slide, dry-mounted, of his so-called 

 8quamuli7ia scopula, including also a fine example of the 

 branching variety, since identified with the Haliphysema 

 ramulosum of Dr. Bowerbank. Although sorely tempted on 

 many occasions to raise the glass cover from this slide, and 

 immolate one of these typical specimens on the altar of science, 

 the anticipation that I should shortly encounter the same in 

 the flesh on the Jersey coast, proved, for a while, a sufficient 

 restraint, and the slide in consequence remained intact. The 

 still more powerful influence, however, of hope long cherished 

 but unrewarded at length asserted its more potent sway ; and 

 selecting that example of the solitary and typical form which 

 could best be spared from the little group, it was carefully 

 removed for examination. This preliminary investigation of 

 a dried specimen only, however, was not destined to definitely 

 solve the question. Dried sarcode Avas found running out 

 upon and adhering to some of the spicules that bristled upon 

 the external surface of the organism in a manner as nearly as 

 possible identical with that which characterizes the dried 

 syncytial element of many ordinary sponges. Within the 

 interior there was likewise encountered one or more minute 

 fragments which bore a strong resemblance, under a magni- 

 fication of 800 diameters, to a pavement-like arrangement of 

 the essential collar-bearing spongozoa in a desiccated state. 

 At the same time a large portion of the internal cavity of 

 this organism was occupied by a yellow granular substance 

 scarcely corresponding with the syncytial or cellular element 

 of ordinary sponge structure, and the presence of which to 

 a certain extent negatived that portion of the evidence favour- 

 able to the sponge interpretation. Rising from this pre- 

 liminary " vision of dry bones " we were nevertheless still 

 loyal to the impression derived from Prof. Haeckel's account 

 and figures of his Physemaria, and anticipated an easy 

 demonstration of their true sponge-nature as soon as an op- 

 portunity of examining living specimens should arrive. 



The investigation of the dried example just described took 

 place in February last; and, as may be anticipated, no small 

 amount of pleasurable excitement attended the first acquain- 

 tance, made in the following April, with the same form in the 

 full vigour of its existence. Specimens were in the first place 

 transferred to a shallow zoophyte-trough, and cursorily 

 reconnoitred with a power of from 100 to 200 diameters 

 only. This preliminary inspection yielded no positive results, 

 the spicule-bristling capitulum in each instance maintaining 



