ACCOUNT OF BRITISH SPONGES. 



99 



#### Compact. 



9,3. Tomentosa, Irregular, soft, brittle, and full 

 of pores interwoven with minute spines. 

 Spongia tomentosa. Lin. Syst. p. 1299. — Gmd, 

 p. 382L 



Spongia urens. Ellisy Zooph. p. 187. 



Sponge like crumb of bread. Ellis^ Coral, p. 80. 



t. 16. f. d. d. 1. D. l.—Pbil. Trans. 55. p. 288, 



t. 10. f. A. 



Spongia panicea. Pallas, Zooph. p. 308. — Gmd. 

 p. SmS.-^TurL 4. p. 660. 



This species of sponge is so amply described by 

 Mr Ellis, that little needs to be said of it ; 

 but it may be proper to remark, that the minute 

 spines of which it is formed, and which are said 

 to sting and blister the skin like cow-itch, is not 

 readily discovered except in the larger pores ; nor 

 do they always affect the hand by which the 

 sponge is rubbed, for it is only in a very dry state 

 that such an effect is obvious ; hence, as Mr Ellis 

 remarks, the property of stinging, is much in- 

 creased by drying in afi oven. 



It is suspected that this sponge has been com- 

 monly confounded with Spongia suheria, though 

 in fact not the least like when compared, either 

 in colour, (when dry,) or in texture ; a definitive 

 comparison will be found in the description of 

 suberid. 



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