Scientific Intelligence — Zoology. 369 



The following peculiarities of form and structure were minutely 

 detailed and illustrated : — 



1st, The turbinated form of the sponge. 



2d, The partial distribution of the rind. 



'3d, The minute pores of the rind, arranged in threes ; a pore in 

 each of the angles, formed by the primary branches of the six- 

 radiate spicula. 



4th, The water, instead of passing out by oscula, drains through 

 a perforated or network membrane which lines a number of irre- 

 gularly tortuous grooves on the surface of the attached hemi- 

 sphere of the sponge, — the grooves being continuous with deep 

 fissures, which extend into the rind, and are apparently the result 

 of distension from internal growth. 



6th, The silicious spicula are arranged according to the type of 

 the skeleton in the other Tethese. Elongated, slightly bent or 

 twisted rod-like spicula, are combined in bundles by means of 

 fibrous substance, and a few boomerang-shaped spicula, laid cross- 

 ways. These bundles are arranged irregularly in the centre of 

 the sponge, so as to form a nucleus from which radiating masses 

 extend outwards to the rind, or beyond the surface, where the 

 rind is deficient. The spicula of the rind are large and six-radiate. 

 Their shafts are deeply and firmly inserted into the radiating 

 bundles. Their three primary branches are set at angles of 120° 

 to the shaft, and to one another. The two secondary branches at 

 the extremity of each primary branch are long-pointed, slightly 

 concave towards the centre of the sponge, and set at an angle of 

 90° to one another. 



6th, The fleshy mass which envelopes the spicular bundles in the 

 interior of the sponge, consists of — 1. Ordinary sponge particles; 

 2. Caudate particles, probably similar to the Spermatozoa de- 

 scribed and figured by Mr Huxley in an Australian Tethea ; 3. 

 Ova- like masses, the largest of which envelope a radiating arrange- 

 ment of anchor-like spicula ; 4. Towards, and in the rind, elon- 

 gated cellules, apparently fibrous and muscular, the fibrous con- 

 necting the spicula, and with the nucleated muscular cellules ar- 

 ranged transversely as figured by Donati. 



7th, From the structure of Tethea, as well as from the obser- 

 vations of Donati and M. Edwards, this group of sponges would 

 appear to possess considerable contractility. — (Proceedings of the 

 Royal Society of Edinburgh?) 



15. Hungarian Nightingale. — Last autumn I brought from the 

 neighbourhood of Hungary, says Dr Martin Barry, a nightingale, 

 Sylvia Philomela. It wintered in Scotland, I will venture to say the 

 only one there ; and then, after two months of powerful and most 

 delicious song in its cage, it died. 



16. M. Quatref ages' Method for destroying Insects. — The 

 Termes lucifugum is well known for its ravages. It has been 



VOL. LV NO. CX. — OCTOBER 1853. 2 A 



