ACCOUNT OF BRITISH SPONGES, 



89 



15. Botryoides, Minute, ovate, tubular, in 

 bunches, covered with triradiated spines. 



Spongia botryoides. Ellis, Zooph. p. 19Q, t. 58. 

 f. L-4.— 6?we/. p. 382S. 



This species, originally described by Mr Ellis, 

 is the only one I have not been able to identify 

 amongst the sponges that zoophytist has given as 

 British. It is very minute, and composed of 

 branches of little oval figures in the shape of 

 grapes, and. each is opeiir at the top, (probably 

 tubular,) When the surface of this species is 

 highly magnified, it seems," says Mr Ellis, " as 

 if covered with little masses of triple equidistant 

 shining spines." These spines were described and 

 figured by Walker in Testacea Minnta Rariom, 

 as a minute species of Asterias, My late valuable 

 friend Mr Boys of Sandwich, favoured me with 

 specimens of these triple spines, together with 

 most of Walker's minute shells, and they were 

 admitted by that able naturalist to be the spines 

 of Spongia botryoides, 1 do not recollect that Mr 

 Boys had ever seen a perfect specimen of this 

 sponge, nor is it mentioned in his Catalogue of 

 subjects in Natural History in the neighbourhood 

 of Sandwich ; but Mr Walker says his Asteria-^ 

 triradiata is found on all the shores of Kent ; so 

 that we may conclude the sponge is not uncomraoii 

 in that quarter. 



