246 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
in them, and a French author has promised to write a work to 
prove that the flower-basket is made by the crab and is not a 
sponge ! But I have seen several kinds of crabs in the different 
specimens submitted to my examination and one collecter wants 
a large price for his specimen because he says it has twins ; 
that is, there are two crabs in the same tube — I believe, of two 
kinds. 
The history of the Venus’s flower-basket is a good illustra- 
tion, showing how completely the price of a Natural History 
specimen depends on the rarity rather than the beauty of the 
article. Mr. Cuming sold his specimen to Mr. Broderip for 
30k and after a time Mr. Cuming bought it back for the 
same price as he received for it. This specimen, which is now 
in the British Museum, is very much discoloured and not 
otherwise in a good condition. About a year ago a merchant 
in the city received twelve or fourteen specimens; he was 
informed what they were, but he declined to dispose of them 
until he received instructions from the person who sent them 
from Manilla. About four months ago he arranged with a Natural 
History dealer, who undertook to sell them so that he should 
receive 10Z. for each specimen. The specimens were scarcely 
all sold at prices ranging from 10Z. to 1 51. each, when a few 
specimens came into the market, that had been sent from 
Manilla to Hamburg. More and more specimens arrived, and 
the price rapidly decreased from 71. to 51. and to 3 Z., when a 
report was spread that 1,200, that is to say six boxes containing 
two hundred specimens each, had passed the custom house and 
were in London. The prices kept going down and it is expected 
that they may hereafter be sold at 10s. or even 5s. each ; for 
a friend from Manilla informs me that they are so numerous in 
that town that the hawkers go about with a quantity in a basket, 
selling them at one quarter dollar each. However common 
they may become, they will always be a most beautiful object 
and an ornament to any room that may contain them. 
The dealers like such beautiful objects to be rare and dear. 
On my mentioning the number that had arrived to one of 
them he observed, u I wish I had been present at the examina- 
tion, would I not have become suddenly drunk or excited and 
stumbled into one or more of the boxes ! ” I think if he had 
done so he would have paid for his temerity, for the fragments 
of the fibres would have severely punished him and have been 
difficult to extract from his skin; the irritation of cowage or 
of the spines of the “ crumb of bread sponge,” would have been 
slight in comparison. 
