i denne Henseende har Bowerbank, saavidt jeg kan skjønne, 

 neppe nok ladet Naaleformerne faa en tilstrækkelig Vægt. 



Oskar Schmidt forekommer mig ogsaa at lægge for 

 megen Vægt paa Svampenes Bløddele og øvrige Bygning i 

 Forhold til Naalenes Form; jeg har nemlig ikke kunnet 

 finde noget karakteristisk i de undersøgte Svampes Bløddele ; 

 Sarkoden har jeg fundet dels uden enhver Antydning til 

 Differentiering, dels tilsyneladende traadet, meget lignende 

 et fibrillært Bindevæv; ved Hjælp af Karmin finder man i 

 Sarkoden temmelig talrige smaa runde Kjerner, der imid- 

 lertid ikke bidrager til at give Sarkoden nogen bestemt 

 Karakter, og det har derfor været mig umuligt i Sarko- 

 dens Beskaffenhed at kunne finde noget, der kunde tjene 

 til at karakterisere Svampene. Jeg er derfor kommet til 

 det Resultat, at alene Naaleformerne kan bruges til at 

 karakterisere Svampene; og det forekommer mig, at man i 

 Hæckels Behandling af Kalksvampene har det Forbillede, 

 hvorefter man burde rette sig ved Inddelingen af Kisel- 

 svampene. Kiselnaalene er det eneste ialfalcl nogenledes 

 konstante Formelement, der kan tjene til et Grundlag for 

 en systematisk Indcleling. Om man, ved at benytte den, 

 ogsaa vilde faa et naturligt System, derom tør jeg ingen 

 Mening have; men jeg tror for sikkert at kunne antage, 

 at man ved deres Hjælp vilde kunne faa et System, i hvil- 

 ket elet lod sig gjøre at finde sig tilrette med nogenledes 

 Lethecl; og dette maa, efter min Mening, ansees som det 

 foreløbige Desideratum. Som allerede nævnt er det Ma- 

 teriale, jeg har havt under Behandling, neppe stort nok 

 til at danne Grundlag for en systematisk Ordning af disse 

 mangfoldigtformede Dyr, og jeg indskrænker mig derfor til 

 at ordne dem og beskrive dem efter deres Naaleformer, det 

 eneste, hvori jeg har fundet et Holdepunkt. 



Det tør vel hænde, at jeg kommer til at beskrive 

 allerede kjendte Former under nye Navne; men da det 

 Gebet, hvorfra disse Svampe er opfisket, er et hidtil saa- 

 godtsom aldeles uudforsket, saa tør det vel ogsaa hænde, 

 at Mesteparten af de fundne Dyr virkelig ere nye for Vi- 

 denskaben. 



Til Betegnelse af Naaleformerne benytter jeg mig af 

 de af Dr. Vosmaer angivne Formler 1 . 



Svampenes ydre Form kan neppe spille nogen Rolle 

 for deres systematiske Indcleling, men kan kanske delvis 

 benyttes til Adskillelse af Arterne. Spiklernes Anordning 

 forekommer mig ogsaa mestendels at spille en underordnet 

 Rolle, hvor vel den for visse Formers vedkommende synes 

 at være temmelig gjennemgaaende ens. 



Jeg begynder med Svampe med Naaleformel ac 2 



1 Dr. G. C. T. Vosmaer : Versuch einer spongiologischen 

 St enographie i Tijclsschrift der nederlandsche dierkundige vereinigung. 

 Deel V. 1881. 



their form, should be considered as the most material, in the 

 characterisation of the genus, and in this respect Bower- 

 bank has, so far as I can gather, scarcely laid sufficient 

 stress upon the form of the spicules. 



It also appears to me, that Oskar Schmidt lays too 

 much stress upon the soft parts, and the other structure 

 of the sponges, in relation to the spicular form. I have, 

 for instance, not been able to find any characteristics in 

 the soft parts of the sponges investigated; but have found 

 the sarcode to be, partly, without any indications of differ- 

 entiation, and partly, apparently, very similar to a fibril- 

 lous connective-tissue. With the assistance of carmine, 

 there is found in the sarcode, rather numerous, small round 

 nuclei, which do not, however, contribute to give the sarcode 

 any definite character, and it has been impossible, for me, 

 therefore, to find in the nature of the sarcode, anything 

 which would serve to characterise the sponges. I have come 

 to the conclusion, therefore, that the form of the spicules 

 can, alone, be used to characterise the sponges ; and it appears 

 to me, that in HæckeFs treatment of the calcareous sponges 

 we have, the prototype upon which we ought to proceed 

 in the classification of the siliceous sponges. The siliceous 

 spicules are, at all events, the only, somewhat constant 

 form-element, which can serve as a basis for a systematic 

 classification. Whether, by its use, we would also obtain a 

 natural system ; I cannot venture to express an opinion 

 upon; bnt I think, I may, certainly, assume, that with its 

 aid, we might obtain a system, in which it was possible to 

 find our way with some degree of ease, and in my opinion 

 this must be considered to be the preliminary desideratum. 

 As already mentioned, the material which I have had 

 under investigation is scarcely sufficient to form the basis 

 of a systematic arrangement of these, so multitudinously 

 formed, animals, and I confine myself, therefore, to classify 

 and describe them, according to the form of the spicules, 

 this being the only point which I have found to be charac- 

 teristic. 



It may happen, perhaps, that I come to describe, 

 under new designations, forms already known, but as the 

 field from which these sponges have been obtained, is one 

 that, hitherto, has been almost entirely uninvestigated, it 

 may also, therefore, well happen, that the greater part of 

 the animals found, are really new to science. 



To indicate the spicular form, I make use of the 

 formulæ given by Dr. Vosmaer 1 . 



The external form of the sponges can scarcely play any 

 part in their systematic arrangement, but can perhaps be used, 

 partially, in the distinguishing of the species. The arrange- 

 ment of the spicules appears, to me, also, to play, principally, 

 a secondary part, although, in regard to certain forms, it 

 appears to be tolerably uniform throughout. 



I commence with sponges having spicules of the form 



1 Dr. G-. C. T. Vosmaer: Versuch einer spongiologischen 

 Stenographic i Tijdsschrift der nederlandsclie dierkundige vereinigung, 

 Deel V. 1881. 



