Wright — On Hyalonema Limtanica, Bocage. 551 
mud or sand. How opposed this view was to all previous ideas on the 
subject, is well shown by the published remarks of Dr. J. E. Gray, 
who says, in answer to a note from Professor Loven, stating — ''You 
will see that, if I am not very wrong, all who have treated of the 
Hyalonema have inverted it, turned it upside down, and that the twisted 
rope, instead of rising out of the sponge, in reality is nothing but the 
remaining part of the stalk," — ''Dr. Loven has had, I fear, only 
very imperfect specimens of the Japan Hyalonema to examine, or he 
would not have adopted such a theory." 
Thus one other query was added to the previous two, and all 
three were, in the Spring of 1868, to be answered only by a practical 
examination into the life-history of Hyalonema. I thought at once of 
trying to settle this ; but it was not until the Autumn of 1868, that 
having been asked by the Academy to attempt the solution of these 
queries, I proceeded, on the invitation of Professor Barboza du Bocage 
to Lisbon, arriving therein August, 1868. I have narrated elsewhere 
(Annals and Magazine of JN'atural History, December, 1868) some of 
the details of my visit, and of the fish and corals to be met with 
at the great depth of 300 to 400 fathoms off the coast of Portugal 
to the south-west of Setubal. Here it will be sufficient to state that 
I have solved the questions asked by the Academy ; and to report — 
1. That, although I had with me only a small sized naturalist's 
dredge, yet that I succeeded in dredging from a depth of, I believe 
some 400 fathoms. 
2. That the dredge brought up vast quantities of the large and 
long siliceous spicules characteristic of Hyalonema. 
3. That I obtained one living and perfect specimen of the Hyalo- 
nema lusitanica of Bocage. 
4. That, as suggested by Loven, I proved that it lives with the 
long siliceous spicules of its stem anchored in the mud, and with the 
expanded portion of the sponge crowning the summit of the glass rope. 
5. That the Polyps, as was indeed believed by almost all zoolo- 
gists, were truly a species of Palythoa, partially expanding their 
tentacles, and behaving in every way like true Zoantharia. 
6. And, lastly, to confirm the opinion of Professor Bocage, that 
the Hyalonema lusitanica was really a species indigenous to Portugal. 
[Added January 27th, 1873.] 
The Eeport as above was drawn up, and ready to be presented 
to the Academy (in JS'ovember, 1868) within six months after 
it did me the honour of asking me to report on this subject. But at 
this very time I learned of the great success that had attended 
the deep sea exploring expedition under my friend Professor Wyville 
Thomson in the " Lightning." Through his kindness I was also 
enabled to behold some of the vast stores he had accumulated in this 
expedition, and found, among other things, numbers of Hyalonema. 
Satisfying myself with the record of my independent discovery of the 
