Monthly Microscopical"! 
Journal, June 1, 1869. J 
( 367 ) 
PKOGKESS OF MICEOSCOPICAL SCIENCE. 
A New Sponge, whicli appears to be closely related to Euplectella, 
has been described by Professor Leidy. The specimen on wbich the 
genus Pheronema is founded was captured at Santa Cruz, and reminds 
one, says Dr. Leidy, of the Hyalonema, with its siliceous rope, 
but the structure of the threads more nearly resembles that of the 
anchor threads of Euplectella. The body of the sponge is oblong 
ovoidal, with the narrower end upward, and with one side more pro- 
minent than the other. The lower extremity is rather cylindroid and 
rounded truncate. The upper extremity is conical, with a truncate 
apex presenting a large circular orifice. This is about four lines in 
diameter, and is the exit of a canal which descends in the axis of the 
sponge for almost half its depth, and then appears to divide into 
several branches. The sides of the sponge form thick dense walls to 
the cylindrical canal, which is of uniform diameter before its division. 
In its present condition the sponge is of a light-brown hue. Its 
surface exhibits an intricate interlacement of stellate, siliceous spiculsB, 
including a tissue of finer spiculae of the same character, the whole 
associated by the dried remains of the softer sponge tissues. More or 
less fine sand, especially at the lower end of the sponge, appears to be 
introduced as an element of structure. From the lower end of the 
sponge there projects a number of distinct or separate tufts of siliceous 
spicules, looking like tufts of blonde human hair. In the specimen 
there are fifteen tufts projecting around two-thirds of the extremity of 
the sponge, but the remaining third of the extremity of the latter ex- 
hibits about ten orifices, from which as many additional tufts appear to 
have been extracted. Length of the body of the sponge 4i inches ; dia- 
meter at middle 22 lines, at lower end 15 and 17 lines, at upper end 
8 lines. Length of tufts of spiculae 2 inches. The coarser stellate 
spicules of the surface of the sponge in general have five rays, of 
which four are irregularly cruciform, while the fifth projects at a right 
angle to the others towards the interior of the sponge. The rays of 
the contiguous crosses form together a lattice-work on the surface 
of the sponge, and the intervals are covered by the rays of the finer 
spicules, wbich also in general have a five-rayed stellate character. 
The finer tissue in the interior of the sponge, seen through the lattice- 
work of the surface, contains a multitude of spicules which differ from 
the others only in their minute forms. Some of the largest stellate 
spicules on the surface of the sponge have a stretch of three-fourths of 
an inch. The spicules of the tufts projecting from the sponge are two 
or three inches in length, and vary in diameter. They become attenu- 
ated towards both extremities, but especially that inserted into the 
sponge-mass. Starting from the latter, they are at first smooth, then 
finely tuberculate ; the tubercles gradually become converted into well- 
marked recurved prickles or hooks, and finally the spicules end in a 
