﻿a 
  monograph 
  of 
  the 
  victorian 
  sponges. 
  69 
  

  

  Doubtful 
  Species. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  completeness 
  it 
  is 
  proposed 
  in 
  this 
  place 
  to 
  quote 
  the 
  original 
  

   descriptions 
  of 
  those 
  Victorian 
  sponges 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  as 
  Homocoela 
  (or 
  

   Ascones), 
  but 
  concerning 
  which 
  we 
  are 
  not 
  at 
  present 
  in 
  possession 
  of 
  sufficient 
  

   information 
  to 
  make 
  identification 
  and 
  classification, 
  without 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  

   original 
  specimens, 
  which 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  impossible, 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  any 
  thing 
  like 
  certainty. 
  

  

  I 
  may 
  mention 
  here 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  carefully 
  examined 
  a 
  fragment 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Carter's 
  

   ^' 
  Clathrina 
  latitiibulata 
  (provisional, 
  incertse 
  sedis)"* 
  sent 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Carter 
  to 
  the 
  

   British 
  Museum 
  and 
  thence 
  to 
  me, 
  and 
  that 
  I 
  find 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  undoubted 
  Sycon 
  with 
  

   small, 
  but 
  branched, 
  flagellated 
  chambers 
  (radial 
  tubes). 
  

  

  1. 
  Leucosolenia 
  osculuin, 
  Carter, 
  sp. 
  

  

  Clathrina 
  osculuin, 
  Carter, 
  Annals 
  and 
  Magazine 
  of 
  Natural 
  History. 
  June, 
  1886, 
  

   p. 
  503. 
  

  

  " 
  Individualised, 
  social. 
  Globular, 
  slipitate, 
  presenting 
  on 
  the 
  summit 
  a 
  short, 
  cylindrical, 
  hollow 
  process, 
  and 
  

   ending 
  below 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  filiform 
  stems 
  fixed 
  to 
  the 
  object 
  on 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  grown, 
  composed 
  throughout 
  of 
  a 
  

   mass 
  of 
  tubulated 
  thread-like 
  filament 
  growing 
  by 
  almost 
  infinite 
  and 
  irregular 
  branching 
  and 
  anastomosis 
  into 
  the 
  

   form 
  above 
  mentioned. 
  Colour 
  sponge 
  — 
  brown 
  when 
  fresh, 
  when 
  dry 
  dark 
  grey. 
  Surface 
  even, 
  uniformly 
  reticulate, 
  

   interstices 
  about 
  l-120thin. 
  in 
  diameter. 
  Pores 
  numerous, 
  passing 
  through 
  the 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  hollow 
  thread. 
  Vent 
  

   single, 
  tubulated, 
  at 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  specimen, 
  composed 
  of 
  a 
  thin, 
  cylindrical 
  extension 
  oE 
  the 
  walls 
  of 
  the 
  tulmlation, 
  

   which 
  at 
  this 
  part 
  opens 
  into 
  it 
  by 
  a 
  jjlurality 
  of 
  holes, 
  and 
  thus 
  enters 
  into 
  its 
  composition. 
  No 
  definite 
  cloacal 
  dilatation. 
  

   Structure 
  already 
  stated, 
  composed 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  kind 
  of 
  staple 
  thread 
  as 
  C. 
  cavata, 
  but 
  smaller 
  and 
  more 
  com])act 
  in 
  its 
  

   reticulation 
  ; 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  tubulated 
  thread 
  very 
  thin 
  and 
  skeletally 
  composed 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  layer 
  of 
  triradiate 
  spicules 
  held 
  together 
  

   by 
  sarcode, 
  and 
  lined 
  by 
  the 
  softer 
  parts, 
  which 
  here 
  also 
  appear 
  to 
  consist 
  chiefly 
  of 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  spongozoa 
  in 
  juxtaposition, 
  

   that 
  is 
  without 
  being 
  gathered 
  into 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  ampuUaceous 
  sacs, 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  reniarkablu 
  (juantity 
  of 
  those 
  organs 
  

   which 
  consist 
  of 
  nucleated 
  cells 
  respectively 
  surrounded 
  by 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  glistening 
  spherical 
  granules, 
  which 
  Hiickel 
  

   has 
  figured 
  and 
  named 
  ' 
  nuclei 
  ' 
  (Kerne) 
  of 
  the 
  syncytium, 
  as 
  before 
  stated. 
  Stem 
  apparently 
  an 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  

   tubulated 
  thread, 
  but 
  more 
  solid. 
  Spicules 
  of 
  one 
  kind 
  only, 
  viz., 
  triradiates 
  of 
  different 
  sizes, 
  but 
  for 
  themost 
  part 
  eiiuiarmed 
  

   and 
  eijuiangulated, 
  intercrossing 
  each 
  other 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  interstices 
  of 
  the 
  reticulation 
  here 
  a 
  polygonal 
  

   border; 
  spicules 
  more 
  plentiful 
  and 
  larqcr 
  than 
  in 
  C. 
  carala, 
  ray 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  ones 
  averaging 
  42 
  by 
  5-GOOOtlis 
  in. 
  in 
  its 
  

   greatest 
  dimensions. 
  Size 
  of 
  individual, 
  of 
  which 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  joined 
  together, 
  about 
  5-21lhs 
  in. 
  in 
  diameter; 
  stem 
  

   about 
  l-24th 
  in. 
  long 
  and 
  l-48thin. 
  in 
  diameter. 
  

  

  " 
  Oba. 
  — 
  To 
  what 
  size 
  tiiis 
  species 
  might 
  ultimately 
  grow 
  I 
  am 
  ignorant, 
  but 
  that 
  above 
  described 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  

   small. 
  It 
  is, 
  however, 
  amply 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  show 
  iu 
  the 
  section 
  that 
  the 
  tubular 
  vent 
  is 
  the 
  nutlet 
  oi' 
  Itie 
  titbula 
  ted 
  

   strurliire, 
  and 
  that, 
  although 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  absolutely 
  cloacal 
  dilatation, 
  this 
  is 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  reticulated 
  structure 
  in 
  the 
  

   centre 
  immediately 
  under 
  the 
  vent 
  being 
  more 
  open 
  than 
  towards 
  the 
  circumference. 
  In 
  these 
  two 
  particulars, 
  then, 
  it 
  

   differs 
  from 
  C 
  cavata, 
  not 
  more 
  so, 
  perhaps, 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  and 
  abundance 
  of 
  its 
  spicules, 
  especially 
  on 
  the 
  surface, 
  

   whereby 
  the 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  tubulation 
  here 
  appears 
  to 
  consist 
  of 
  a 
  plurality 
  of 
  layers 
  instead 
  of 
  one 
  only 
  as 
  

   in 
  C. 
  cavata. 
  The 
  tubulation 
  is 
  charged 
  internally 
  with 
  ova 
  in 
  the 
  unscgmcnted 
  state, 
  large, 
  and 
  presenting 
  the 
  

   germinal 
  vesicle. 
  

  

  " 
  Upon 
  the 
  authority 
  of 
  Hiickel 
  I 
  have 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  ' 
  nuclei,' 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  last 
  species, 
  are 
  in 
  his 
  

   'syncytium;' 
  but, 
  entertaining 
  a 
  different 
  view 
  of 
  their 
  nature, 
  I 
  must 
  refer 
  the 
  student 
  for 
  my 
  explanation 
  of 
  this 
  

   assumption 
  to 
  the 
  ' 
  Ainials 
  ' 
  of 
  1881, 
  Vol. 
  XIV., 
  pp. 
  20 
  and 
  21. 
  The 
  species 
  is 
  very 
  like 
  Schmidt's 
  Naidoa 
  reticulum 
  

   (Spoiig. 
  Kiiste 
  V. 
  Algior, 
  p. 
  28, 
  Taf. 
  V.,Figs. 
  7 
  and 
  8)." 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  bo 
  based 
  on 
  an 
  insufficient 
  immbcv 
  of 
  sp(H-iiii(>ns 
  

   which 
  may 
  not 
  impossibly 
  be 
  sim})ly 
  young 
  forms, 
  as, 
  indeed, 
  'Mr. 
  Carter's 
  

   description 
  sugg(>sts. 
  Tlie 
  canal 
  system, 
  to 
  judge 
  from 
  the 
  descri[)tion 
  and 
  from 
  an 
  

   uiipublisluul 
  illustration 
  siait 
  to 
  me 
  l)y 
  Mr. 
  Carter, 
  belongs 
  to 
  my 
  tyix^ 
  B. 
  of 
  

   the 
  Ilomoccola 
  reticulata, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  the 
  spong(> 
  closely 
  resembles 
  

  

  * 
  Annals 
  and 
  Magazine 
  of 
  Natural 
  History, 
  Juuo, 
  188(5, 
  p. 
  515. 
  

  

  