S P o 
S P it 
SPR 
695 
gether. They have rows of cells on each 
margin, that project a little. This species 
is of a pale yellow colour, from live to ten 
inches. high. T he fibres are reticulated; and 
the flesh of the gelatinous part is so tender, 
that when it is taken out of the water it 
soon dries away. It is very common round 
the sea-coast of Britain and Ireland. This 
description wifi be better understood by 
observing that along the edges, and on the sur- 
face of the branches, are rows of small papil- 
lary holes, through which the animal receives 
its nourishment. 2. Cristata, or cock’s- 
comb sponge, is flat, erect, and soft, growing 
in the shape of cock's combs, with rows 
of little holes along the tops, which project 
a little. It abounds on the rocks to the east- 
ward of Hastings in Sussex, where it may be 
seen at low water. It is commonly about 
three inches long, and two inches high, and 
of a pale yellowish colour. When put into a 
glass of sea-water, it has been observed to 
suck in and squirt out the water through little 
mouths along the tops, giving evident signs 
of life. 3. Stuposa, tow-sponge, or downy 
branched sponge, is soft like tow, with round 
branches, and covered with fine pointer! 
hairs. It is of a pale yellow colour, and 
about three inches high. It is frequently 
thrown on the shore at Hastings in Sus- 
sex. 'Phis sponge is so closely covered 
with a fine down, that the numerous small 
holes in its surface are not discernible. 4. 
Dichotoina, dichotomous or forked sponge, 
is stiff, branched with round, upright, elastic 
branches, covered with minute hairs. It is 
found on the coast of Norway, and also, ac- 
cording to Berkenhout, on the Cornish and 
Yorkshire coasts. It is of a pale yellow co- 
lour; and full of Very minute pores, guarded 
by minute spines. 5. Urens or tomentosa, 
stinging sponge, or crumb-of-bread sponge, is 
of many forms, full of pores, very brittle and 
soft, and interwoven with very minute spines. 
It is full of small protuberances, with a hole 
in each, by which it sucks in and throws out 
the water. It is very common on the. British 
coast, am! is frequently seen surrounding tu- 
cuses. it is found also on the shores of N orth 
America, Africa, and in the East Indies. 
When newly taken out of the sea, it is of a 
bright orange-colour, full of gelatinous flesh ; 
but when dry it becomes whitish, and when 
broken has the appearance of crumb of bread. 
If rubbed on the hand it will raise blisters; 
and if dried in an oven, its power of stinging 
is much increased, especially that variety of 
it which is found on the sea-coast of North 
America. 6. Palmata, pal mated sponge, is 
like a hand with fingers a little divided at the 
top. The mouths are a little prominent, and 
irregularly disposed on the surface. It is 
found on the beach at Brighthelmstone. It is 
of a reddish colour, inclining to yellow, and 
of the same soft woolly texture with the 
spongia oculata. 7. Coronata, coronet 
sponge, is very small consisting of a single tube 
surrounded at the top by a crown of little 
spines. The tube is open at the top. The 
rays that compose the little crown are of a 
bright shining pearl-colour; the body is of a 
pale yellow. It has been found in the har- 
bour of Emsworth, between Sussex and Hamp- 
shire. 8. Botryoidos, grape sponge, is very 
tender and branched, as if in bunches: the 
bunches are hollow, and are made up of oblong 
oval figures having the appearance of grapes; 
and each bunch is open at top. This species 
is of a bright shining colour. The openings 
at the top are evidently the mouths by which 
the animal imbibes and discharges moisture. 
When the surface is very much magnified, it 
appears covered with little masses of triple, 
equidistant, shining spines. 9. Lacustris, 
creeping sponge, has erect, cylindrical, and 
obtuse branches. It is found in lakes in 
Sweden and England. 10. Fluvial ilis, river 
sponge, is green, erect, brittle, and irregu- 
larly disposed in nun teams branches. It 
abounds in many parts of Europe, in the fresh 
rivers of Russia and England, but particu- 
larly' in the river Thames. It scarcely exhi- 
bits any symptoms of life, and is of a fishy 
smell : its pores or mouths are sometimes 
filled with green gelatinous globules. It differs 
very little from the lacustris. 
So early as the days of Aristotle, sponges 
were supposed to possess animal life ; the per- 
sons employed in collecting them having ob- 
served them shrink when torn from the rocks, 
thus exhibiting symptoms of sensation. The 
same opinion prevailed in the time of Pliny ; 
but no attention was paid to this subject till 
count Marsigli examined them, and declared 
them vegetables. Dr. Peysonell, in a paper 
which he sent to the Royal Society in the year 
1752, and in a second in 1757, affirmed they 
were -not vegetables, but the production of 
animals ; and has accordingly described the 
animals, and the process which they per- 
formed in making the sponges. Mr. Ellis, 
in the year 1762, was at great pains to dis- 
cover these animals. For this purpose he dis- 
sected the spongia urens, and was surprised to 
find a groat number of small worms of the ge- 
nus of nereis or sea scolopendra, which had 
pierced their way through the soft substance 
of the sponge in quest of a safe retreat. That 
this was really the case, he was fully assured 
of, by inspecting a number of specimens of the 
same sort of sponge, just fresh from the sea. 
He put them into a glass filled with sea-water ; 
and then, instead of seeing any of the little 
animals which Dr. Peysonell described, he 
observed the papilla* or small holes with which 
the papillae are surrounded contract and dilate 
themselves. lie examined another variety 
of the same species of sponge, and plainly 
perceived the small tubes inspire and expire 
the water. He therefore concluded, that the 
sponge is an animal, and that the ends or open- 
ings of the branched tubes are the mouths by 
which it receives its nourishment, and dis- 
charges its excrement. 
SPONGIOSE, in anatomy, an appella- 
tion given to several parts of the body. 
SPONSORS. See Godfathers. 
SPONTANEOUS, or Equivocal, Ge- 
neration. See Equivocal Genera- 
tion. 
SPONTOON, is a weapon much like a 
halberd, formerly used instead of a half-pike, 
by the officers of foot. When the spontoon 
was planted, the regiment halted ; when 
pointed forwards, the regiment marched ; and 
when pointed backwards, the regiment re- 
treated. 
SPOONBILL. SeePLATALEA. 
SPOONING, in the sea-language, is said 
of a ship, which being under sail in a storm at 
sea, is unable to bear it, and consequently 
forced to put right before the wind. 
SPOTS, in astronomy. See Maculje. 
SPOUT, See Waxek-Spout. 
SPRAT. See Clupea. 
SPRING, in natural . history, a fountain 
or source of water, rising out of the ground. 
See Water. 
Origin of springs. The water which falls 
on the surface of the earth, in rain, snow, &c. 
penetrates its substance till it meets with a 
stratum of clay, stone, or some other matter, 
which stops its descent ; it then glides late- 
rally on the stratum which sustains it, and in 
the direction to which it leans, till meeting 
with an aperture, it appears on the surface of 
the earth in the form of a spring. As water, 
like other matter, obeyg the force of gravity, 
and therefore has a tendency to descend, 
springs are always lower than the source from 
which they are supplied. Springs are most 
common on the sides and at the bottom of 
mountains ; they are seldom found quite at 
the summit of a mountain, and are rare where 
a country is every where level to a consi- 
derable distance, because there the strata are 
parallel, and do not conduct the water to any 
particular point. In order to obtain water, 
therefore, in fiat countries, it is generally ne- 
cessary to dig into the earth, when it is found 
to flow copiously from the sides of the opening, . 
at no great distance from the surface. When 
wells are dug in elevated situations, water is 
seldom met with till we have dug to a consi- 
derable depth, and got below the general le- 
vel of the country. 
A curious circumstance occurs in the mak- 
ing of wells at Modena and Stiria in Italy. 
Thevvorkmen begin by digging through several 
strata or soils, till they come to a very hard 
kind of earth much resembling chalk ; here 
they begin their mason-work, and build a well, 
which they r carry on at their leisure till they 
have finished without being interrupted with 
one drop of water, and without any apprehen- 
sion of not finding it when they come to make 
the experiment. The well being finihed, they 
bore through the hard bed of chalk, upon 
which the well is built, with a long auger, but 
take care to get out of the well before, they draw 
it out again ; which when they have done, the 
water springs up into the well, and in a little 
time rises to the brim, nay sometimes overflows 
the neighbouring grounds. . Now there can be 
little doubt, that these waters flow from reser- 
voirs which are collected- within the Appe- 
nine mountains, not far from Modena, and 
taking their course through subterraneous 
passages, endeavour to force their ascent to- 
the same height from which they descend, , 
wherever they can find a vents 
As alt the water which falls in -rain has un- 
dergone a natural distillation, it is mucin 
more pure when it first falls, than after it has 
passed through different strata of the earth 
and rises in springs. Spring water is always . 
found to contain some foreign admixture; if 
tliis should be only an earthy salt, the water • 
is called hard; if it contains other substances,, 
it then receives the denomination of, mineral 
water. See Soap. i 
For intermitting springs, see Hydrosta- 
tics, Vol. I. p. 953. 
Hot springs. There is no phenomenon 
which has more completely battled the ef- 
forts of modern philosophy than this. The 
most probable hypothesis (though not satis- 
factory) is, that the same causes operate to • 
produce these which produce volcanoes ; but 
that their permanent temperature arises fron>i 
the inflammatory matter being confined by an 
