LV. 
Description of a Zoophyte, commonly found about the 
Coasts of Singapore Island,—with a Plate. 
By Masor Genzrat THOMAS HARDWICK, F.R.L. & A. S. 
; Read 13th November, 1819. 
ee 
Tus subject belongs to the Genus Spongia, to the class Vermes— 
and is of the order Zoophytes.—From its peculiar form, we propose to 
term it 
a) 
_SPONGIA PATERA. 
Root.—Branching, the shoots of various thickness, from the size of a 
finger to 3 inches in diameter, slightly diverging, composed of earth, 
sand, and broken shells, and very fragile. 
Stem.—Cylindrical, of the same cellular texture as the bowl, and about 
the same length, in circumference, pretty equal—from 15 to 17 inches 
diameter—surface porous, 
