BIOLOGY. 
Spong. 13 
repeatedly observed Spongillids continuing to live and to grow for months 
after propagation, and even producing two successive lots of gemmulge: 
“ meine Schwamme haben vor Beginn des Winters 1894-95 nochmals 
gemmulge erzeugt, wahrend die alteren Gebilde dieser Art im Mutterthiere 
unverandert verblieben.” He thinks that, normally, gemmulge are pro- 
duced in the same Sponge many times succesively. 
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 
A. General (22, 69). 
Weltner (69) gives a detailed account of the distribution of 
Spongillidce. They occur up to altitudes of 2150 metres (Sponyilla 
lacustris , Sierra Nevada). The highest locality for Spongillidce in 
Central Europe is the St. Moritz Lake in Switzerland, which lies 
1767 metros above the sea. They generally grow in shallow water, but 
also occur at greater depths if they find firm bodies there to which they 
can attach themselves. Of the 82 species, 38 are recorded from one 
locality only, and 32 have, as far as known, a very small distribution. 
Only 12 are widely distributed. Of known genera, 6 occur in the 
European-Siberian area, 2 in the Mediterranean, 1 in the Chinese, 3 in 
the Indian, 3 in the African, 1 in the Madagascarean, 3 in the Aus- 
tralian, 6 in the North American, aud 7 in the South American areas. 
The most widely distributed genera are Spongilla and Ephydatia. 
To the eight species of Spongillidce hitherto found in Europe, 
Hanitsch (22) adds three species, Ephydatia crater i/or mis, Potts, 
Heteromeyenia ryderi , Potts, and Tubella pennsylvanica , Potts, which had 
previously only been known from America. These three American 
species have been found only in the west of Ireland. Hanitsch does 
not consider them as a remnant of a Spongillid fauna, in former times of a 
greater extent than now, but as immigrants from America, brought over 
the Atlantic, as gemmules, either by the Gulf-stream or by migratory 
birds. 
b. Faunistjc. 
Great Britain. — Hanitsch (20, 22) adds 3 species of Spongillidce to the 
fauna of the west of Ireland. Herdman (25) adds 3 species to the 
fauna of Liverpool bay. Binder (5) notices 5 species from Plymouth. 
Continent of Europe. — Buck (11) found 3 species of Spongillidce in the 
Bodensee, and another in a pond in its vicinity. Lenz (42) records 
2 species of Spongillidce from the vicinity of Liibeck. Lameere (38) 
mentions 1 species of Spongillidce from Belgium. Hanitsch (21) 
records 1 species of Spongilluhe from Portugal, the first Spongillid found 
in the Spanish peninsula. 
Atlantic coast of Continental Europe. — Lenz (42) enumerates 5 species 
of Sponges from the coast near Liibeck. Lameere (38) records 5 species 
