ACCOUNT OF BRITISH SPONGES. 105 



amination, had considered it as the young of that 

 species. The smaller sponge alluded to, is, how- 

 ever, perfectly distinct from either infundibuli- 

 formis, or ventrilabrum^ and which will be found 

 described under the title of scypha. 



Gmelin has referred to Spongia foliascens, as well 

 as to crateriformis of Pallas, for this sponge j but 

 he is probably mistaken. 



27. Ventilabimm. Fan-shaped, with reticulated 

 woody fibres, covered with large spongy 

 pores. 



Spongia ventilabra. Lin. Syst. p. 1296. — GmeL 

 p. S^ll,— Ellis, Zooph. p. 188.— Pontopp. Norw. io 

 p. 251. t. 13. f. 8.— Wern. Mem. i. p. 561. (Jam- 

 son.) 



Sea-fan sponge. Phil. Trans. 55. p. 289. t. 11. H. j 

 (Ellis.) 



This large species of sponge, has been long de- 

 scribed as a production of the Norwegian sea ; it 

 was therefore very likely to make its appearance 

 on the northern coast of Great Britain, especially 

 in the north of Scotland. 



It was reasonable to suppose, that this, and many 

 other natural productions of the coast of Norway, 

 would be found in Zetland, which more particu- 

 larly approximates that part of the northern con- 

 tinent. This suspicion has been verified, not on- 

 ly by specimens received from those islands 

 through the kind assistance of my scientific friend 

 the Reverend Mr Fleming, but by its having been 



