260 
Bahama  Sponges. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
X       May,  1887. 
touch.  The  fibres  are  closely  interwoven,  as  in  the  Turkey  kind,  but 
are  coarser  and  less  elastic.  It  is  only  one-third  the  value  of  Turkey 
sponge. 
The  third,  or  honeycomb  sponge,  has  a  more  spheroidal  or  rounded 
form,  flattened  above,  and  the  larger  or  excurrent  openings  are  irregu- 
larly scattered  over  the  upper  surface.  In  this  kind  the  erect  or 
primary  fibres  are  not  visible. 
The  Bahama  sponges  correspond  closely  with  the  typical  forms 
above  described  in  general  characters,  and  by  Mr.  A.  Hyatt,f  the 
American  spongologist,  are  considered  to  be  varieties  of  these  species. 
He  expresses  the  opinion,  however,  that  the  coarser  varieties  of  the 
European  sponges  are  finer,  firmer,  and  more  elastic  than  the  finest  of 
the  corresponding  American  sub-species,  the  inferiority  of  the  latter 
being  attributed  to  the  large  amount  of  foreign  matter  included  in 
their  primary  fibres,  the  looser  mesh  of  the  fibres,  which  are  compara  - 
tively  coarse,  and  the  larger  and  more  numerous  canals. 
The  Bahama  sponges  are  referable,  according  to  Mr.  Hyatt,  to  the 
following  sub-species : — 
Reef,  or  glove  sponge,  to  Spongia  officinalis,  var.  tubulifera. 
Sheeps'  wool  sponge,  to  Spongia  equina,  var.  gossypina. 
Abaco  velvet  and  cay  velvet  sponge,  to  Spongia  equina,  var.  mean- 
driniformis. 
Grass  sponge,  to  Spongia  equina,  var.  cerebriformis,  and  Spongia, 
graminea. 
Hardhead  sponge,  to  Spongia  agaricina,  var.  typica. 
Yellow  sponge,  to  Spongia  agaricina,  vars.  corlosia,  dura  and 
punctata. 
Reef,  or  Glove  Sponge. — Although  resembling  Turkey  sponge  in 
the  closeness  of  its  mesh  it  is  quite  different  in  shape,  being  broadest 
at  the  base  and  convex  or  dome-shaped  above,  and  sometimes  com- 
pressed laterally.  The  oscules  are  fewer  in  number,  rather  large,  and 
are  often  situated  in  a  row  opening  on  the  top  of  the  sponge.  The 
texture  becomes  very  brittle  with  age  and  is  never  so  elastic  as  the 
Turkey  sponge ;  being  very  soft  and  much  cheaper  than  the  latter 
(only  about  one-tenth  its  value),  it  answers  very  well  for  surgical 
purposes  where  it  is  necessary  to  renew  the  sponges  frequently. 
The  glove  sponges,  as  a  rule,  are  of  comparatively  small  size.  They 
grow  gregariously  on  a  hard  bottom  or  on  reefs,  five  or  six  feet  below 
f  '  Revision  of  the  North  American  Poriferse,'  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  1876. 
