lOS ACCOUNT OF BRITISH SPONGES. 



lately recorded as a Zetlandic species in the Me- 

 moirs of the Wernerian Society. Professor Jame- 

 son picked up several specimens of a sponge in 

 the islands of Unst and Fulah, which appears to 

 be the same as those I received from the same 

 quarter. This naturalist, has, it is true, placed a 

 note of interrogation after his reference to the 

 mntilahrum of Linnaeus. It has," says Pro- 

 fessor Jameson, the reticular vi^oody veins, the 

 same kind of spongy covering, and the same gene- 

 ral fan-like shape as the 'species ventilabrum,^^ 

 The same naturalist remarks, that it is said that 

 certain varieties of this species are funnel-shaped. 



It would seem, however," says this enlightened 

 naturalist, " that these supposed varieties belong 

 to a distinct species." May not Spongia ^cypha^ 

 hereafter described, be one of the supposed varie- 

 ties of this species ? 



It may be proper to remark, that with both the 

 common fan-shaped and crateriform specimens 

 of ventilabrum before me, I am confident these 

 actually belong to the same species, although 

 so different in shape. Upon the receipt of these 

 sponges from Mr Fleming, I remarked to him his 

 mistake in considering a small infundibuliform 

 sponge, which accompanied them, to be a young 

 funnel-shaped ventilabmm, as its texture is very 

 different, besides being destitute of the ligneous 

 reticulations which forni the support of the spongy 

 fibres in that species. 



The specimen before me, of a sub-infundibuli=. 



