willing and able to help the traveler on his way. Our engravings are
from drawings by Mr. J.E. Page, C.E.--_London Graphic_.

* * * * *




SPONGES.


As the last of a course of lectures upon "Recent Scientific Researches
in Australasia," Dr. R. Von Ledenfeld lately delivered a lecture at the
Royal Institution, upon "Recent Additions to our Knowledge of Sponges."
The lecturer did not confine himself to the sponges of Australia alone,
but gave a _resume_ of the results of recent investigations on sponges,
together with several new interesting details observed more especially
in studying the growth of Australian sponges. With a passing reference
to some peculiarities of the lower marine animals of the Australian
coast, Dr. Ledenfeld remarked upon the preponderance of sponges over
other forms of marine life in that part of the world. It has long been a
point of discussion as to whether sponges belong to the vegetable or
animal kingdom, but naturalists are now generally agreed in regarding
them as animals, a conclusion, the lecturer remarked, that Aristotle had
also arrived at.

Sponges grow in a variety of more or less irregular shapes, but it has
been observed that the most regular structures occur in the calcareous
species. As to color, Dr. Ledenfeld remarked that some of the Australian
sponges are of exceptionally brilliant hues, while others range from the