4 Spong. 
XVII. SPONGLE. 
INTRODUCTION. 
I. The Zoological Record of Sponges for 1902 includes 76 publications, 
exclusive of abstracts or reviews. Of this total, which is practically the 
same as last year, one (No. 68) dates from 1897, one from 1899, and seven 
from 1901, leaving 67 titles belonging strictly to 1902. 
II. In Biology there are no very extensive or detailed memoirs in the 
Record. Bidder (4) brings forward interesting observations on reaction 
to environment in some familiar sponges of the littoral zone. Vosmaer 
and Vernhout (65, 66) contribute valuable studies upon the morphology 
and development of certain types of monaxon spicules. The statement of 
Schrammen (55) to the effect that in palieozoic Hexactinellida the skeleton 
consists entirely or in great part of stauractins, i.e. 4-rayed cruciform 
spicules, is of great interest in view of the discovery of Ijima [Zool. Rec. 
1901, Sponges, p. 14] that in Hexactinellid larvae the spicules first formed 
are all stauractins. Schrammen regards the stauractin as an adaptive 
modification (“ Umbildung”) of the hexactin, but it is possible that the 
former may have preceded the latter in phylogeny, just as in Calcarea the 
triradiate forms precede the quadriradiate. Cotte (7) throws some new 
light upon the mysterious boring habit of Clioiia and (8, 9) adds to our 
knowledge of the physiology of nutrition and excretion in sponges. Wilson 
(72) advocates again his theory of the occurrence of “ gemmule-larvae,” 
basing his arguments upon the discoveries of Ijima recorded last year. 
Cotte (10) has observed reproduction by fission to occur in the gemmules 
of Suberites domuncula. A feature of this year’s Record is the compara¬ 
tively large number of text-books or treatises containing general accounts 
of sponges or of their structure. 
III. Under the heading of Geographical Distribution the most im¬ 
portant memoirs are those of Lundbeck (38) on the Monaxonida of the 
North Atlantic, of Wilson (71) on the sponges of Porto Rico, of Schulze 
(56) on the Hexactinellids of the Indian Ocean, and of Sollas (58) and 
Vosmaer & Vernhout (66) on the sponges of the Malayan Region. 
Kirkpatrick (28) adds to our knowledge of the South African sponge- 
fauna, and Svartzevsky (59, 60) gives an exhaustive account of the 
Spongillince of Lake Baikal. LTnder Palieontology Schrammen (55) con¬ 
tributes a valuable monograph of the Cretaceous Hexactinellids of 
Hanover, and Ungern-Sternberg (63) describes others from the same 
horizon in Prussia. 
IV. The most important systematic works on sponges are those of 
Schulze (56), Lundbeck (38), Sollas (58), Wilson (71), Schrammen (55), 
Ungern-Sternberg (63) and Kirkpatrick (28) already mentioned above, 
and of Ijima (21), Topsent (62), and Whitelegge (69). Vosmaer & 
Vernhout settle decisively the vexed question of the systematic position 
of the Placo spong idee. Whitelegge (69) continues the examination of the 
types of Australian sponges and the exposure of the errors made in the 
original descriptions of them, a subject upon which Etheridge (14) also 
has some remarks. Urban (64) describes a new genus and species of 
calcareous sponges, but by far the greater number of this year’s novelties 
