210 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



1899. ScHARFF, E. F., and Carpenter, G. H. — Some Animals from tlie 

 Macgillicuddy's Reeks. Irish Naturalist, viii. 



1902, A Guide to Belfast and the Counties of Down and Antrim, prepared 

 for the Meeting of the British Association by the Belfast Natura- 

 lists' Field Club. [Nichols, A. E.— Sponges, pp. 2;i6-238.] Belfast. 



1905. Stephens, Jane. — Note on Irish Fresh-water Sponges. Irish Natura- 

 list, xiv. 



1908. Handbook to the City of Dublin and the Surrounding District. ' Pre- 

 pared for the ileetiug of the British Association. [Stephens, J. — 

 Sponges, pp. 213-215.] Dublin. 



1912. Stephens, Jane.— Fresh-water Porifera of the Clare Island Survey. 

 Proc. Koy. Irish Acad., .\.\.\i. Part 60. 



1914. Stephens, Jane. — [Note on Fresli-water Sponges.] Ann. Eeport and 



Proc. Belfast Naturalists' Fiekl Club, ser. ii, vol. vii. 



1915. Stephens, Jane. — [Occun-ence of Ejihydatia fluviatiliv in the River 



Lifl'cy.] Irish Naturalist, xxiv, p. 43. 

 1915. Stephens, Jane. [Note <>n Fresli-water Sponges.] Ann. Eeport and 

 Proc. Belfast Nat. Fielil Club, ser. ii, vol. vii. 



References in zoological literature to the occurrence of fresh-water 

 sponges in Ireland are few, as can be seen from the foregoing list, and for 

 the niost part brief. Apparently the earliest allusion to Irish fresh-water 

 sponges was made less than one hundred years ago by John Fleming in his 

 work, "The Philosophy of Zoology," published in the year 1822. In the 

 course of his description of the Alcyunaria he devotes a few lines to the 

 spongee, and associates them with a "tribe" of the Alcyonaria represented 

 by the genera Anthelia and Cornularia among others. Tiie author says : 

 " As nearly connected with this tribe in form and the condition of the coral, 

 we may notice the curious natural family of Sponges, the polypi of which 

 are unknown." The only genem mentioned are Spongia, Ephydatia, and 

 Tethya. In a foot-note (vol. ii, p. 614) there is the following remark : " I have 

 given a delineation of the Ephydalia cannlium from an Irish specimen, 

 Plate V, f. 4." The figure referred to represents jmrt of a specimen of 

 Spongilla Uicuslns. 



In his paper "On the Structure and Nature of SpongilUi/riabilis," published 

 in 1826, Grant stated that "this animal or vegetable production is found 

 spreading over rocks or other solid bodies, at the bottom of lakes, or on the 

 sides of stagnant pools ... in different parts of Great Britain and Ireland." 

 The sponge referred to is proljably Ephijdatifi fiuviatUis. 



Templeton's Catalogue, published in 1836, contains the following reference 



