82 On the "Glass-Rope" Hyalonema. 



organism at all ? Was it complete ? Were the three parts 

 essentially connected together ? and, if not, were all the three 

 parts independent ? or, were two of these parts the same 

 thing ? and, if so, which two ? 



As my present object is merely to give a general sketch 

 of the various attempts which have been made to solve this 

 riddle, and to indicate the doubts and difficulties which still 

 kinder its solution, while endeavouring, of course, to establish 

 a harmony of opinion with my reader, I aviII trouble him as 

 little as possible with technical details; uor do I feel called 

 upon to work out the bibliography of the subject further than 

 is necessary for my special purpose. 



Hyalonema was first described and named in 1835, by 

 Dr. J. E. Gray, who has since in one or two notices in the 

 Annals of Natural History, and elsewhere, vigorously defended 

 the essential points of his original position. Dr. Gray associated 

 the silicious whisp with the zoophyte, and regarded the sponge 

 as a separate organism. He looked upon the silicious coil as 

 the representative of the horny axis of the sea-fans (Gorgonice), 

 with which it certainly presented many analogies in minute 

 structure, and the leather-like coat he regarded as its fleshy 

 rind. He supposed, that between this zoophyte thus con- 

 stituted, and the sponge at its base, there subsisted a relation 

 of guest and host, the zoophyte being constantly parasitic in 

 the sponge ; and in accordance with this view he distinguished 

 for the reception of the zoophyte, a new group of Alcyonarians, 

 under the name of Spongicolce, as distinguished from the 

 Sabidicolw (Pemiaiulce) and the Eupicolee (Gorgonice). 



Dr. Gray's view seemed in many respects a natural one, and 

 it was adopted, in the main, by Dr. Brandt of St. Petersburg; 

 who in 1859, published a long memoir describing a number of 

 specimens brought from Japan to Russia. Dr. Brandt illus- 

 trates fully the structure of this zoophyte, and refers it to a 

 special group of sclerobasic zoantharians with a silicious 

 axis. 



In October last Dr. Gray published in the Annals and 

 gazine of Natural History an additional note on the " glass- 

 rope" Hyalonema. While acknowledging his error in having' 

 referred the polyp incrusting Hyalonema to the barked Alcyo- 

 narians, an error of little moment if we admit the close relation 

 i i' Ardipatlies to the typical zoantharia, the author adheres 

 resolutely to his original view, and imagines that it has received 

 full confirmation from the observations, hereafter to be noticed, 

 of Senhor de Bocage ; and in a short communication to the 

 . I tiuals for December, Dr. Gray alludes to a statement (which 

 I can confirm) that the sclcrobase of some Gorgoniai contains 



ica. I will not at presen dwell farther upon these papers, 



