S P O N G I A. 183 



needles, though they have been reckoned Alcyoniums by 

 moft authors, yet in my opinion it appears, from the ac- 

 curate descriptions given us of thefe bodies, both by Count 

 Marfigli and Dr. Donati, who had feen and examined 

 them alive in fea-water, and who could never difcover 

 any polype fuckers extending out of their pores, that they 

 fhould not be reckoned among the Alcyoniums ; for thefe 

 polype fuckers are the diftinguifhing character of that 

 genus, as much as the pores without the polypes in thefe 

 elaftic fibrous bodies, is the character of the Sponges. 

 Thefe are the Alcyonium Lyncurium and Alcyonium Cy~ 

 doniumof Linn. Syft. pag. 1295. The Alcyonium Burfat 

 Linn, alfo appears from the defcription given of it by 

 Rondeletius to be one of the fame kind. This is faid by 

 Mr. Ray to be found on our coafts, but I have never yet 

 met with it. Count Marfigli calls it Aurantium Mari- 

 num, and fays it appeared to have life in it, when he cut 

 a piece of it with his fciffars. That the furface was co- * 

 vered with a great number of glands that tranfmitted the 

 water from the outride to the infide, which was croffed 

 by a number of fine threads ihining like filver ; but he 

 makes no mention of any polypes on the furface. 



1. Spongia officinalis. Common Sponge, 



Spongia multiformis te- This Sponge is found in a 



nax porofijftma lohata to- variety of forms ; it is elafHc,, 

 men t of a. very full of holes \ it grows 



into lobes, and is of a woolly 



confiftence. 



Common officinal Sponge. Phil. Tranf. Vol. 55. p. 288, 

 tab. 10. fig. D. E. 



Spongia officinalis. Linn. Syft. Nat.. Ed. 12. p. 1298. 



