1872.] 
AMERICAN AG-KICULTURIST. 
53 
Venus’s Flower-Basket. 
Tlie beautiful object represented in tbe en¬ 
graving was some years ago only known in 
rare collections, and it was a long time before 
its real nature was ascer¬ 
tained. To ordinary in- 
spection, it appears like 
an exceedingly ingenious 
arrangement of spun- 
glass, its fibers being, 
like that, brittle and 
transparent. Few would 
suspect it to be a product 
of the sea, and much less 
a sponge, or rather the 
framework or skeleton, so 
to speak, of a sponge. 
For a long time it was a 
matter of doubt whether 
sponges should be con¬ 
sidered as animals or veg¬ 
etables, but now their ani¬ 
mal nature is well estab¬ 
lished. Sponges belong 
to the division of Zoo¬ 
phytes, which includes so 
many obscure forms of 
animal life. The living part of the sponge we 
seldom see; it is a gelatinous substance, which 
is supported and strengthened in several ways. 
The common sponge of commerce is the 
fibrous - horny skeleton of certain species of 
what are called horny sponges, the 
gelatinous portion having been remov¬ 
ed in preparing it for market. In other 
sponges the gelatinous body is support¬ 
ed by spiculoe of lime of various forms. 
Others, again, have a skeleton of pure 
silex—the same material as quartz or 
flint; to this last class the Venus’s 
Flower-basket belongs. Sponges may 
be multiplied by division; if cut in two 
the parts will grow, and each form a 
perfect sponge. Their usual way of 
propagation is by budding. Gemmules 
or buds sprout from the body of the 
sponge, and are finally detached; these 
young sponges are able to swim about 
by means of vibratory hairs, or cilise, 
and when they find a suitable place 
they attach themselves and commence 
to grow, never moving afterwards. 
The form of the Venus’s Flower-basket 
is shown in the engraving, which is 
photographed from a specimen belong¬ 
ing to one of our associates. It is gen¬ 
erally about a foot long, and two 
inches wide at the top. It is usually 
somewhat curved, and has been com¬ 
pared in shape -to a cornucopia. In 
growing it stands as shown in the en¬ 
graving. At the base the glassy threads 
are separate, and include sand and 
other extraneous matter, showing 
that the sponge was anchored at the 
bottom of the sea by this portion. 
From below the middle to the top 
there arise from the surface elegant 
ridges or “ flounces,” as they might be 
termed, arranged diagonally with the 
squares of the network of the body. 
They are of the same material as the 
rest of the structure, and appear to 
be for the purpose of strengthening 
it. The top of the “basket” is covered by a 
network of glassy threads, crossing in vari¬ 
ous directions, but leaving numerous openings, 
so that it looks somewhat like the cover of 
a pepper-box. When we examine the body 
of the structure with the unassisted eye, we 
see bundles of glassy threads, running longi¬ 
tudinally about an eighth or three sixteenths of 
mantis crab.— (Squilla empusa .) 
an inch apart. These threads are crossed by 
similar horizontal ones, dividing the whole sur¬ 
face into more or less regular squares. Then 
smaller threads cross these square meshes at 
the corners, giving the whole—to compare a de- 
VENUS’S FLOWER-BASKET. 
| licate structure with a coarse one—an appear- 
] ance not unlike the open-work of a cane-seated 
' chair. An enlarged portion of the network is 
given to show the structure more clearly. The 
individual threads appear precisely like spun- 
glass, and like that can be bent to a certain de¬ 
gree. A chemical examination shows them to 
be pure silex. Moderately magnified, the threads 
are seen to be variously 
branched, the branches 
forming junctions with 
those from other threads. 
After exposure to heat, 
the threads when ex¬ 
amined by a high power 
are found to consist of 
concentric layers, one de¬ 
posited over another. Al¬ 
though the individual 
threads are transparent 
the structure that is form¬ 
ed from them is not so. 
In this, as with spun- 
glass, the action upon 
light is such that trans¬ 
parency is lost, and the 
whole has a delicate 
satiny luster. The first 
specimens were brought 
from the Philippine 
Islands, but it is now said 
to be found in other localities, and it is occa¬ 
sionally offered for sale by dealers in curiosi¬ 
ties. We believe that naturalists have not yet 
had the opportunity of examining this interest¬ 
ing sponge in its complete state. The scien¬ 
tific name is Euplectella speciosa. The 
generic name, Euplectella, is from the 
Greek words, meaning well , and to plait. 
The Squillas or Mantis Crabs. 
A rather rare member of the family 
of Crustaceans (to which the crab and 
lobster belong) was brought to us not 
long ago by a gentleman who lives 
upon the coast of Long Island. It 
is so curious in its structure that we 
give an engraving of the animal. At 
first sight it resembles a small lobster, 
four or six inches long, but differs from 
it in a number of important points. 
There are seven pairs of true feet. The 
first pair, as in the lobster, are much 
larger than the others, and serve the 
animal in seizing its food. The first 
lower joint is curiously bent back upon 
the next one, giving these legs much 
the appearance of those of the insect 
known as the Praying Mantis, on which 
account this animal and its relatives 
are called Mantis Crabs. The next 
three pairs of legs are much smaller, 
and with the first pair are placed close 
around the mouth of the animal, and 
beneath a broad loose shield, which in 
the drawing conceals them. There 
are three more pairs of true legs upon 
the joints of the thorax. Along the 
abdomen are five pairs of false feet, and 
near the tail are several strong paddles. 
One of the most curious things about 
these Mantis Crabs is, that, unlike the 
majority of crustaceans, its gills are not 
placed within the cavity of the body, 
but are attached to the appendages or 
false feet, under the abdomen, so that 
these crabs may be said to breathe 
through their feet! The animal being drawn 
as seen from above, these appendages are not 
shown, being completely hidden by the abdomen 
