﻿4 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  VICTORIAN 
  SPONGES. 
  

  

  The 
  descriptions* 
  given 
  by 
  Dr. 
  von 
  Lendenfeld 
  botli 
  of 
  Homoderma 
  and 
  Leucopsis 
  

   are 
  so 
  inadequate 
  and 
  the 
  specimens 
  upon 
  v^-hich 
  the 
  two 
  new 
  " 
  famiUes 
  " 
  are 
  based 
  

   avowedly 
  so 
  minute, 
  that 
  I 
  cannot 
  lielp 
  feehng 
  considerable 
  hesitation 
  in 
  accepting 
  

   them 
  without 
  further 
  evidence. 
  In 
  thus 
  refusing 
  to 
  accept 
  Dr. 
  von 
  Lendenfeld's 
  

   Homodermidce 
  and 
  LeucopsidcF 
  without 
  further 
  evidence 
  I 
  am 
  only 
  following 
  the 
  

   example 
  of 
  so 
  eminent 
  a 
  spongologist 
  as 
  Dr. 
  Vosmaer.f 
  

  

  These 
  considerations 
  have 
  induced 
  me 
  to 
  pay 
  particular 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  minute 
  

   anatomy 
  of 
  the 
  Calcarea 
  Homocoela, 
  and 
  my 
  researches 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  

   highly 
  organised 
  forms 
  the 
  canal 
  system 
  becomes 
  far 
  more 
  complex 
  than 
  has 
  been 
  hitherto 
  

   believed, 
  leading 
  to 
  a 
  complexity 
  of 
  organisation 
  amongst 
  the 
  Homocoela 
  perhaps 
  equal 
  

   in 
  degree, 
  although 
  different 
  in 
  land, 
  to 
  any 
  found 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  amongst 
  the 
  Sycon 
  

   Heterocala. 
  Moreover 
  my 
  observations 
  support 
  those 
  of 
  Dr. 
  von 
  Lendenfeld 
  in 
  that 
  

   I 
  have 
  found 
  a 
  type 
  of 
  canal 
  system 
  closely 
  agreeing 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  his 
  Hoinodcriua, 
  but 
  

   in 
  a 
  totally 
  distinct 
  species 
  {Leucosolenia 
  fripodifera, 
  Carter 
  sp.) 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  size 
  and 
  

   represented 
  by 
  so 
  many 
  specimens 
  that 
  mistake 
  is 
  impossible. 
  

  

  In 
  working 
  out 
  the 
  Calcarea 
  Homocoela 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  much 
  aided 
  by 
  the 
  kindness 
  

   of 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  J. 
  Carter, 
  F.E.S., 
  the 
  well-known 
  English 
  writer 
  on 
  sponges. 
  Some 
  years 
  

   ago 
  Mr. 
  Bracebridge 
  Wilson 
  forw^arded 
  large 
  collections 
  of 
  sponges 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Carter, 
  by 
  

   whom 
  they 
  were 
  described 
  in 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  papers 
  in 
  the 
  "Annals 
  and 
  Magazine 
  of 
  

   Natural 
  History," 
  the 
  types 
  being 
  afterwards 
  lodged 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Museum. 
  Thus 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  with 
  which 
  I 
  shall 
  have 
  to 
  deal 
  in 
  this 
  monograph 
  have 
  already 
  

   been 
  described 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Carter, 
  but 
  the 
  descriptions 
  are 
  brief, 
  without 
  illustrations, 
  

   and 
  the 
  anatomy 
  is 
  scarcely 
  touched 
  upon. 
  Thus 
  it 
  becomes 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  great 
  

   difiiculty 
  to 
  recognise 
  many 
  of 
  them, 
  but 
  this 
  difficulty 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Calcareous 
  

   sponges 
  has 
  been 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  extent 
  obviated 
  by 
  the 
  kindness 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Carter, 
  who 
  sent 
  

   me 
  a 
  copy 
  of 
  his 
  work 
  with 
  numerous 
  manuscript 
  illustrations 
  and 
  unpublished 
  notes. 
  

   For 
  this 
  and 
  numerous 
  other 
  acts 
  of 
  kindness 
  I 
  must 
  express 
  my 
  hearty 
  thanks 
  to 
  

   Mr. 
  Carter. 
  

  

  Type 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  sponges 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  work 
  will 
  be 
  deposited 
  

   in 
  the 
  Biological 
  School 
  of 
  the 
  Melbourne 
  University, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  proposed 
  also 
  to 
  send 
  

   a 
  set 
  to 
  the 
  National 
  Museum 
  in 
  Melbourne 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  in 
  London. 
  

  

  ' 
  Proceedings 
  of 
  the 
  Linnean 
  Society 
  of 
  New 
  South 
  Wales, 
  Vol. 
  IX., 
  Part 
  4., 
  pp. 
  1088, 
  10S9. 
  

   t 
  Bronn's 
  " 
  Klassen 
  unci 
  Ordnungen 
  des 
  Thierreichs," 
  " 
  Porifera," 
  p. 
  387. 
  

  

  